Department for Education

Teachers: Strikes

Matt Vickers: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps she is taking to support school children whose learning has been impacted by industrial action.

Nick Gibb: The Department is working to ensure the effect of the strikes on schools is as minimal as possible. In order to mitigate the immediate effect of strike days, the Department has updated the ‘Handling strike action in schools’ guidance, which is available at: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/handling-strike-action-in-schools.Where there is a need to restrict attendance, schools should prioritise vulnerable pupils, children of critical workers,(for example NHS and emergency services staff) and pupils due to take public examinations and other formal assessments. The Secretary of State is also encouraging teachers to inform headteachers in advance whether they intend to take strike action, to help schools and families plan ahead, and avoid full closures. Where provision in school cannot be delivered, the use of remote teaching is encouraged. The Department has also updated the remote teaching guidance.As a result of these measures, the strikes so far have seen on average over 90% of schools remaining fully open or partially open to pupils.Where schools had to partially or fully close, teachers will ensure that pupils catch up on any lost education is caught up as quickly as possible.

Department for Education: Data Protection

Stephanie Peacock: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, with reference to the oral contribution of the Minister for Data and Digital Infrastructure of 14 June 2023 at Topical Questions, T7, Official Report, column 286, what plans her Department has to (a) utilise the provisions in Part 3 of the Data Protection and Digital Information (No. 2) Bill and (b) use smart data in new sectors.

Nick Gibb: The Department is preparing for the introduction of the Data Protection and Digital Information Bill and has a dedicated resource that is focusing on understanding what the impact the Bill on its data protection practices. Given that the Bill has not been finalised, the Department does not have an update in respect of Part 3 as it is considering the wider impact of the changes.

Teachers: Labour Turnover and Recruitment

Matt Vickers: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps her Department are taking to improve the (a) recruitment and (b) retention rate of teachers.

Nick Gibb: There are now over 468,000 full time equivalent (FTE) teachers in state funded schools in England, which is an increase of 2,800 (less than 1%) since last year, and an increase of 27,000 (6%) since 2010. This makes it the highest FTE of teachers since the School Workforce Census began in 2010. Just over two thirds of teachers who qualified five years ago are still teaching.The Department’s reforms are aimed at increasing teacher recruitment and at ensuring teachers across England stay and thrive in the profession.The Department announced a financial incentives package worth up to £181 million for those starting initial teacher training (ITT) in the 2023/24 academic year. The Department is providing bursaries worth up to £27,000 and scholarships worth up to £29,000 to encourage trainees to apply to train in key secondary subjects such as mathematics, physics, chemistry, and computing.The Department provides a Levelling Up Premium worth up to £3,000 annually for mathematics, physics, chemistry and computing teachers in the first five years of their careers who work in disadvantaged schools nationally, including within Education Investment Areas (EIAs). The eligibility criteria and list of eligible schools are available at: https://www.gov.uk/guidance/levelling-up-premium-payments-for-teachers.The Department has also raised starting salaries outside London by 8.9% to £28,000 and remains committed to the Government’s ambition of delivering £30,000 starting salaries to attract talented people to teaching.The Department has created an entitlement to at least three years of structured training, support, and professional development for all new teachers, underpinned by the ITT Core Content Framework and the Early Career Framework (ECF). Further information on the ITT Core Content Framework can be found here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/initial-teacher-training-itt-core-content-framework. Further information on the ECF can be found here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/early-career-framework. Together, these ensure that new teachers will benefit from at least three years of evidence based training, across ITT and into their induction.To support retention, the Department has worked with the education sector and published a range of resources to help address staff workload and wellbeing and to support schools to introduce flexible working practices. This includes the workload reduction toolkit and the Education Staff Wellbeing Charter. Further information on the workload reduction toolkit can be found here: https://www.gov.uk/guidance/school-workload-reduction-toolkit. Further information on the Education Staff Wellbeing charter can be found here: https://www.gov.uk/guidance/education-staff-wellbeing-charter. More than 2,600 schools have signed up to the Charter so far.

Department for Education: Directors

Stephen Morgan: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether her Department has made a recent assessment of the effectiveness of the Regional Department for Education Directors.

Nick Gibb: Regional Directors (RDs) are Senior Civil Servants who act on behalf of the Secretary of State and are held to account by the Director General for Regions Group. Their performance is managed through the normal and existing service arrangements for Senior Civil Servants. The Department publishes annual reports relating to school and academies performance, Special Educational Needs and Disabilities, and children’s social care, in which the work of RDs will be included.

Universities: Freedom of Expression

Matt Western: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what estimate she has made of the number of higher education providers under investigation by the Office for Students relating to breaches of (a) academic freedom and (b) freedom of speech in June 2023.

Claire Coutinho: The Office for Students (OfS) is the independent regulator of higher education in England and is an arm’s length body. The OfS have confirmed that they are conducting an investigation in relation to freedom of speech and academic freedom; however, their investigations are normally confidential. Any decisions to publish information about their investigation is a matter for the OfS.

Schools: Electronic Cigarettes

Jim Shannon: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether he has had recent discussions with the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care on vaping in schools.

Nick Gibb: Education is a devolved matter, and the response outlines the information for England only.The Government is concerned about an increase in pupils vaping, particularly the use of of illicit vapes containing lead getting into the hands of pupils. Plans have therefore been announced to reduce youth vaping. There will be increased education and dedicated school police liaison officers to keep illegal vapes out of schools, and rules around the sale of nicotine free vapes and fines for shops selling illicit vapes will be reviewed.Officials in the Department have engaged with officials in the Department of Health and Social Care to discuss vaping as part of health education, which includes content on drugs, alcohol and tobacco.The Department has brought forward the review of the Relationships, Sex and Health Education statutory guidance, which commenced in March 2023.The Department expects new draft statutory guidance to be published for consultation in the autumn, with a view to it coming into force in 2024.

Schools: Gender

Sarah Green: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what her planned timetable is for publication of guidance for schools on matters relating to gender identity.

Nick Gibb: The Department understands that gender is a complex and sensitive issue, and that some schools and colleges feel that they need more support in this area in order to help pupils, students and parents deal with concerns raised. That is why the Department is working with the Minister for Women and Equalities to develop guidance to support schools in relation to gender questioning pupils. The Department will publish a draft for consultation later in the summer term.

Semiconductors: Skilled Workers

Bill Esterson: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, with reference to the National Semiconductor Strategy, published by her Department on 19 May 2023, when she plans to launch the Skills Dashboard.

Robert Halfon: The department is developing a Skills Dashboard in 2023 to support the National Science and Technology Council to understand the supply and demand of science and technology skills. This will be focusing on priority technologies, including semi-conductors. The data supporting the dashboard is being developed and the dashboard is on course to be released this year.

School Teachers' Review Body

Lilian Greenwood: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether she plans to publish the 2023 report of the School Teachers Review Body.

Nick Gibb: As part of the normal pay round process, the independent School Teachers’ Review Body has submitted its report and recommendations to the Government on teacher pay for 2023/24. The Department is considering the recommendations and will publish its response and the report in the usual way, in due course.

Schools: Transgender People

Sir John Hayes: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, if she will publish revised safeguarding guidance on transgender issues in schools.

Nick Gibb: ‘Keeping Children Safe in Education’ (KCSIE) is the statutory safeguarding guidance schools and colleges must have regard to when safeguarding and promoting the welfare of the pupils in their care. The Secretary of State is working closely with the Minister for Women and Equalities to produce guidance to support schools in relation to pupils who are questioning their gender, following calls from schools, teachers, and parents. This guidance will clarify schools’ legal position and the importance of schools involving parents when making any decisions relating to their child and their gender. The Department will undertake a formal public consultation on this guidance before it is published. The Department will consider whether to include links to the new transgender guidance, within future versions of KCSIE, and take into account any views on its inclusion, as part of the KCSIE public consultation process in the normal way.

Education: Standards

Ben Bradley: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what recent steps her Department has taken to improve learning outcomes for boys.

Ben Bradley: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps her Department plans to take to improve learning outcomes for boys.

Nick Gibb: The Government is committed to improving outcomes for all pupils no matter their gender, and raising attainment is a priority. The Government has successfully driven up standards over the past decade. In 2010, only 68% of schools were rated good or outstanding compared to 87% today.Following the COVID-19 pandemic, evidence from the Education Endowment Foundation, Star Assessments and Renaissance Learning shows attainment for all pupils, including boys, has fallen compared to pre-pandemic levels. In response to this, the Department is taking action to support schools, increasing core schools funding in the Autumn Statement 2022. The additional funding will mean that the core schools’ budget is a net £2 billion higher than published at the Autumn Budget and Spending Review 2021 in each of 2023/24 and 2024/25.The Department continues to deliver the proposals set out in the Schools White Paper, which aim to improve outcomes for all pupils, including boys. This includes providing an excellent teacher for every pupil, securing high standards in curriculum, behaviour and attendance, and providing targeted support for every pupil who needs it.For teachers, the Department remains committed to delivering £30,000 starting salaries to attract and retain the very best teachers. In addition, the Department will deliver 500,000 teacher training and development opportunities by the end of 2024 and has recently announced a £181 million incentive package for Initial Teacher Training. This package of support will secure more high quality teaching, which is the single most important in school factor on attainment.The Department continues to promote the use of phonics and supports schools to offer a high quality, knowledge rich curriculum, both of which are critical to ensuring boys are able to achieve well in later life. In addition, the Government has established the Oak National Academy, setting aside up to £43 million over the next three years to support it to provide high quality resources to schools.The Department continues to support schools through the Pupil Premium, National Tutoring Programme and Recovery Premium. More than £1 billion is available to support tutoring up to 2023/24, with a further £1 billion of Recovery Premium funding in the 2022/23 and 2023/24 academic years.The Government remains committed to raising overall attainment, and reducing the number of pupils in underperforming schools, by creating a stronger and fairer school system. The Department will continue to support schools, trusts and authorities to deliver excellent outcomes for every pupil.

Deep Sea Mining: Skilled Workers

Dr Matthew Offord: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what recent assessment she has made of the adequacy of the UK skills base to support deep sea mining.

Robert Halfon: The department’s skills reforms in England provide a ladder of opportunity that enables young people and adults to get good jobs and progress in their careers.The department is building a skills system that is employer focused, high-quality and fit for the future, and is flexible enough to lead to more people completing courses that meet employers’ needs in all sectors. This ambitious skills agenda is backed by £3.8 billion of investment over this Parliament. The department is using this to expand and strengthen higher and further education, ensuring skills training is aligned to the needs of employers to enable communities to thrive and support more people to complete an apprenticeship.The department is working with industry to shape our training offers, creating more routes into skilled employment in key economic sectors, including engineering, which may be relevant to deep sea mining.The department’s high-quality apprenticeships are supporting people of all ages with the opportunity to earn and learn the skills needed to start, or progress in, an exciting career in engineering and manufacturing. Employers in the sector can access over 150 high-quality apprenticeship standards to meet their skills needs.T Levels are strengthening vocational options for young people finishing their GCSEs. These two-year, technical qualifications are designed with relevant employers, and are equivalent in size to three A levels.The department is delivering reforms to increase the profile, prestige and uptake of higher technical education. Central to our reforms is the introduction of Higher Technical Qualifications (HTQs). HTQs are current, and new, level 4 and 5 qualifications, approved and quality-marked by the Institute for Apprenticeships and Technical Education (IfATE) as providing the skills demanded in the workplace by employers.HTQ rollout is on track with 172 approved qualifications being delivered between September 2022 to September 2024. From September 2024, there will be 23 HTQs in Engineering & Manufacturing, of which courses such as mechanical and/or electrical engineering will contain relevant skills to deep sea mining.The Free Courses for Jobs offer, which was launched in April 2021, allows eligible adults to access over 400 Level 3 qualifications, A level equivalent, for free. Qualifications are available that support workers in all sectors.As part of our Local Skills Improvement Plan programme, which aims to better align skills provision to the needs of local employers, the North-East Chamber of Commerce have been looking at subsea engineering skills as part of their focus on the green energy sector.High quality careers information, advice and guidance is key to helping people to make informed decisions about their future, including being able to find out about and consider the different options available to them. The Careers & Enterprise Company (CEC) is supporting schools and colleges to embed best practice in the delivery of careers information, advice and guidance, so that young people are aware of the full range of training and careers available to them and have access to a broad range of employers and workplaces, including those in the construction sectors. This will be delivered through the national roll-out of Career Hubs, Career Leader training, and the Enterprise Adviser Network.The National Careers Service website gives customers access to a range of useful digital tools and resources to support them. This includes ‘Explore Careers’ which provides information on more than 130 industry areas and more than 800 job profiles, including a range of key sector careers available. Descriptions of what those roles entail, qualifications and entry routes are also included. The content team regularly researches and updates content and welcomes updates from industry to ensure content is accurate and up to date.

National Careers Service: Staff

Alison McGovern: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many full-time equivalent careers advisers are employed to answer phone calls to the National Careers Service.

Alison McGovern: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what the average length of a call was to the National Careers Service answered by a careers adviser in (a) April 2023 and (b) May 2023.

Robert Halfon: The National Careers Service provides free, up to date impartial information, advice and guidance on careers, skills and the labour market in England. The service is delivered by 765 careers advisers working in the community and supporting telephone and webchat channels. The service is available to young people and adults through the website and telephone helpline. Adults can also access face-to-face guidance through the local community-based service.There are 121 full time equivalent professionally qualified careers advisers who are dedicated to work on the National Careers Service locally delivered telephone channel. These advisers primarily provide the service via telephone, but may also work in the community and support live webchat. The average length of telephone calls is shown below, split between Information and Advice calls (IA) and Information, Advice and Guidance calls (IAG):April 2023: IA Only Average Duration 00:09:33 and Full IAG Average Duration 00:38:53May 2023: IA Only Average Duration 00:08:57 and Full IAG Average Duration 00:44:25Sources:Numbers of full-time equivalent careers advisers are taken from the internal workforce development survey which was carried out in March 2023.Timings of calls are taken from internal reports submitted from our prime contractors. They use the reporting database held by Inform Communications, the provider hosting the telephone channel, to extract this information.

Construction: Skilled Workers

Bill Esterson: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what plans she has to address skills shortages in the construction industry.

Robert Halfon: The department’s skills reforms in England provide a ladder of opportunity that enables young people and adults to get good jobs and progress in their careers.The department is building a skills system that is employer focused, high-quality and fit for the future, and is flexible enough to lead to more people completing high-quality courses that meet employers’ needs in all sectors. This ambitious skills agenda is backed by £3.8 billion of investment over this Parliament. We are using this to expand and strengthen higher and further education, ensuring skills training is aligned to the needs of employers to enable communities to thrive.With this investment, we are putting employers at the heart of our skills system. This is why the department is working with industry to shape our training offers, creating more routes into skilled employment in key economic sectors, including construction.Our high-quality apprenticeships are supporting people of all ages with the opportunity to earn and learn the skills needed to start, or progress in, an exciting career in the construction sector. Employers in the construction sector can access a range of high-quality apprenticeship standards to meet their skills needs. There are currently 81 standards approved for delivery, including standards in Modern Methods of Construction to support greener approaches and deliver our commitment to a net-zero economy. In 2021/22, there were 7,490 starts at Level 3 in the construction, planning and built environment sector, a 29.7% increase when compared to 2020/21 (COVID-affected).T Levels are strengthening vocational options for young people finishing their GCSEs. These two-year, technical qualifications are designed with relevant employers, and are equivalent in size to three A levels. Three T Levels in Construction are now available, leading to a variety of careers in the sector such as bricklaying, plumbing, and civil engineering.We are delivering reforms to increase the profile, prestige, and uptake of higher technical education. Central to our reforms is the introduction of Higher Technical Qualifications (HTQs). HTQs are current, and new, Level 4 and 5 qualifications, approved and quality-marked by the Institute for Apprenticeships & Technical Education as providing the skills demanded in the workplace by employers.HTQ rollout is on track with 172 approved qualifications being delivered between September 2022 and September 2024. From September 2023, there will be 18 approved HTQs in Construction and the Built Environment, followed by a further three that have been approved for first teach in September 2024.The Free Courses for Jobs offer, which was launched in April 2021, allows eligible adults to access over 400 Level 3 qualifications for free, which are equivalent to A levels. Qualifications are available that support workers in all sectors. There are 418 Free Courses for Jobs offers approved for delivery available in construction.Skills Bootcamps are free, flexible courses of up to 16 weeks, giving people the opportunity to build up sector-specific skills, with an offer of a job interview with an employer on completion. Skills Bootcamps are available in a variety of skill areas. Skills Bootcamps in the construction sector are open for applications in all regions.High-quality careers information, advice, and guidance are key to helping people to make informed decisions about their future, including being able to find out about and consider the different options, including those in construction, available to them.The Careers & Enterprise Company is supporting schools and colleges to embed best practice in the delivery of careers information, advice and guidance, so young people are aware of the full range of training and careers available to them and have access to a broad range of employers and workplaces, including those in the construction sectors. This will be delivered through the national roll-out of Career Hubs, Career Leader training, and the Enterprise Adviser Network.The National Careers Service website gives customers access to a range of useful digital tools and resources to support them including ‘Explore Careers’ which includes more than 130 industry areas and more than 800 job profiles including a range of key sector careers available, descriptions of what those roles entail, qualifications and entry routes. The content team regularly researches and updates content and welcomes updates from industry to ensure content is accurate and up to date.

Department of Health and Social Care

Dental Services: Children

Rachael Maskell: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how much his Department spent on secondary dental healthcare for children in the 2022-23 financial year; and if he will make an assessment of the potential impact of increasing funding for primary dental care on the level of demand for secondary care.

Neil O'Brien: The Department of Health and Social Care has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Addictions: Rehabilitation

Alison Thewliss: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment he has made of the effectiveness of community recovery services in helping people recover from addiction.

Neil O'Brien: The Department of Health and Social Care has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Dental Services: Children

Rachael Maskell: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if he will make an estimate of the average frequency with which children visit dentists in (a) York Central constituency and (b) the UK.

Neil O'Brien: The Department of Health and Social Care has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Dental Services: Inspections

Rachael Maskell: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if he will make an assessment of the potential merits of reintroducing Dental Reference Officers.

Neil O'Brien: The Department of Health and Social Care has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Neurology: York

Rachael Maskell: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how much his Department spent on neurological services in York in each financial year since 2020-21.

Helen Whately: The Department of Health and Social Care has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Liver Diseases

Mr Virendra Sharma: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what recent assessment he has made of the increased risk of developing (a) cardiovascular disease and (b) cancer among people with non-alcohol-related fatty liver disease.

Helen Whately: The Department of Health and Social Care has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Asthma: Death

Mr Laurence Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what recent estimate he has made of the number of people who have died as a result of asthma in (a) England and (b) Gloucestershire, in each of the last ten years for which figures are available.

Helen Whately: The Department of Health and Social Care has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Asthma

Mr Laurence Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what recent estimate he has made of the number of people with asthma in (a) England and (b) Gloucestershire; and what assessment he has made of trends in the number of people with asthma in (i) England and (ii) Gloucestershire; and if he will make a statement.

Helen Whately: The Department of Health and Social Care has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Asthma: Health Services

Mr Laurence Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what recent assessment he has made of the adequacy of guidance on asthma care; and if he will make a statement.

Helen Whately: The Department of Health and Social Care has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Asthma: Death

Mr Laurence Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department is taking to help reduce the number of fatalities caused by asthma; and if he will make a statement.

Helen Whately: The Department of Health and Social Care has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Asthma: Health Services

Mr Laurence Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps he is taking to improve care for people suffering from asthma; and if he will make a statement.

Helen Whately: The Department of Health and Social Care has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Patients: Travel

Karen Bradley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what is the range of rates for transport expenses that can be claimed by patients attending in-centre haemodialysis.

Helen Whately: The Department of Health and Social Care has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Patients: Transport

Karen Bradley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether her Department has taken steps to implement the recommendations of the report entitled Improving non-emergency patient transport services: Report of the non-emergency patient transport review published by the NHS in August 2021.

Helen Whately: The Department of Health and Social Care has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Cystic Fibrosis: Health Services

Steve McCabe: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, with reference to findings in the Cystic Fibrosis Trust report entitled UK Cystic Fibrosis Service Resourcing 2020 to 2022, published in March 2023, on the availability of access to full multidisciplinary teams at cystic fibrosis centres, what steps his Department is taking to ensure that cystic fibrosis centres have fully staffed multidisciplinary teams.

Helen Whately: The Department of Health and Social Care has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Genetics

Tulip Siddiq: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, with reference to the NHS England publication entitled Accelerating genomic medicine in the NHS, published on 12 October 2022, what steps his Department has taken to embed that strategy.

Will Quince: In October 2022, NHS England published the first NHS Genomics Strategy, Accelerating Genomic Medicine in the NHS, which outlines the vision for embedding genomics in the National Health Service over the next five years.To date, the NHS Genomic Medicine Service is on track to deliver the commitments outlined in the strategy for 2023/24, including continuing to review the latest scientific evidence to inform and update the National Genomic Test Directory; launching a rapid whole genome sequencing service in October 2022; exploring the introduction of innovative genomic sequencing techniques, which can be applied to a range of clinical applications, including cancer; continuing to extend the use of molecular diagnostics and increasing the number of tests offered; establishing a NHS Data and Digital Board; and progressing work to establish NHS Genomic Networks of Excellence, that will play a key role in bringing together stakeholders to accelerate evidence generation to support future commissioning decisions for innovative genomics services in the NHS.

NHS: Waiting Lists

Jim Shannon: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department is taking to reduce NHS waiting times.

Will Quince: Cutting National Health Service waiting lists is one of this Government’s top priorities. We are making good progress on tackling the longest waits, to ensure patients get the care they need when they need it.To tackle waiting lists and reduce waiting times in England, the Government plans to spend more than £8 billion from 2022/23 to 2024/25 to help drive up and protect elective activity. This is supported further by £5.9 billion investment in capital for new beds, equipment and technology.The NHS is also rolling out new and expanded surgical hubs to increase capacity and activity, focusing on providing high volume low complexity surgery. This is backed by £1.5 billion capital funding. There are currently 93 elective surgical hubs that are operational across England.We have now moved our focus to cutting waits of 65 weeks or more to as near zero as possible, by March 2024. Capacity is being sought across the NHS and the independent sector locally, regionally and across the country to support efforts in hitting this target.

Orphan Drugs: Finance

Martyn Day: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment he has made of the potential merits of establishing a fund for ultra-orphan medicines.

Will Quince: The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) has been able to recommend medicines for very rare diseases for NHS funding through its established processes. These are now available to NHS patients in England, including gene therapies for metachromatic leukodystrophy (Libmeldy), spinal muscular atrophy (Zolgensma) and inherited retinal dystrophies (Luxturna).In June 2022, the Government launched the Innovative Medicines Fund that will support NHS patients in England, including those with very rare diseases, to get early access to the most innovative and effective new treatments, where further data is needed to support a NICE recommendation on routine funding. The IMF is a managed access fund that provides a route for earlier patient access to the most promising new medicines while further evidence is collected to inform a long-term commissioning recommendation.NICE’s independent committee may consider managed access if it cannot make a recommendation for routine commissioning but believes that further evidence collection during a period of managed access will sufficiently support the case for such a recommendation in the future.

Incontinence: Products

Andrew Western: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether his Department has provided guidance to (a) NHS Supply Chain and (b) other purchasing managers in (i) the NHS and (ii) social care services on assessing the whole system cost of incontinence products prior to making value-based procurement decisions.

Andrew Western: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether his Department has made a recent assessment of the potential impact of value based procurement decisions for incontinence products on (a) system costs for the (i) NHS and (ii) social care sector and (b) patient outcomes.

Will Quince: We are working to improve spend data systems through implementation of the Government’s Medical Technology Strategy. There are different supply routes available in the NHS, including through NHS Supply Chain, NHS Shared Business Services, direct from supplier to Trust and via prescription on Part IX of the Drug Tariff. NHS Supply Chain are currently in the process of working on two separate value-based procurement projects for continence, both of which aim to concentrate on patient outcomes.Regulation 68 of the Public Contract Regulations (PCR) 2015 allows contracting authorities to determine the most economically advantageous tender and the lowest cost by using a life-cycle costing approach which includes all costs over the life cycle of works, supplies or services.Integrated care boards (ICBs) are responsible for the commissioning of health services, including urinary incontinence for their local health economy and taking into account guidance from the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence. NHS England’s Excellence in Continence Care guidance published in July 2018, indicates that personalised care including personal health budgets can be arranged locally by ICBs to help people manage and pay for their continence care needs.

Rabies: Preventive Medicine

Daisy Cooper: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, pursuant to the Answer of 20 June 2023 to Question 188379 on Rabies: Preventive Medicine, whether he has made an assessment of the potential impact of trends in the (a) supply of and (b) demand for rabies pre-exposure prophylaxis on its price.

Will Quince: Rabipur is currently available but due to increased demand the manufacturer is capping orders to help widen access to supply.

Hospitals: Construction

Charlotte Nichols: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many new hospitals have commenced construction since the beginning of this Parliament.

Will Quince: There are five schemes currently under construction. Three schemes have completed construction with two already open to patients, and one due to open in the coming weeks. Since this Parliamentary session opened on 10 May 2022, one New Hospital Programme scheme has started construction. This is the scheme at Oriel Eye Hospital for Moorfields Eye Hospital NHS Foundation Trust. One further scheme for Nottingham University Hospitals NHS Trust, the National Rehabilitation Centre is due to commence construction shortly.21 sites in the programme have secured either full or outline planning permission, and we continue to work with trusts on opportunities to carry out works to prepare the sites in advance of main construction beginning.

NHS Property Services

Rachael Maskell: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether he has had recent discussions with NHS Property Service Ltd. on its disposal policies.

Will Quince: There have been no recent ministerial discussions with NHS Property Services Ltd (NHSPS) on its policies for the sale of sites surplus to healthcare requirements. Where the relevant local integrated care board (ICB) has declared a property surplus to National Health Service requirements, and it is vacated, NHSPS is required to sell the property for the benefit of the NHS and reduce under-utilisation of its buildings.

Bowel Cancer: Screening

Tracey Crouch: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether his Department plans to reduce the FIT screening for bowel cancer threshold from 120 ug/g to 20ug/g.

Will Quince: The Department and NHS England are working together to look at reducing the FIT screening threshold for Bowel cancer, including calculating the workforce capacity that would be needed.

Voluntary Scheme for Branded Medicines Pricing and Access

Martyn Day: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment he has made of the potential impact of the Voluntary Scheme for Branded Medicines Pricing and Access on access to medicines in the UK.

Will Quince: The voluntary scheme for branded medicines pricing and access (VPAS) includes strong commercial incentives to launch new products in the form of freedom of list pricing and exemptions from payments for medicines containing a new active substance. In addition, the scheme made commitments to improve the access environment for medicines which has been done through the publication of NHS England’s Commercial Framework for New Medicines, a review of the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence’s methods and processes and improved horizon scanning capabilities.These incentives and commitments have contributed to VPAS driving significant improvements in patient access to clinically and cost-effective medicines, whilst ensuring sustainable and predictable spend growth for the National Health Service and industry during a period of economic uncertainty. This is demonstrated by data published in April 2023, by the U.S. industry body, PhRMA ranked the UK third in the G20 for availability of new medicines from 2012 to 2021.

Cystic Fibrosis: Health Services

Marion Fellows: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, with reference to the report entitled Your life and CF, published in June 2023 by Cystic Fibrosis Trust, if he will make an assessment of the impact of hospital car park charges on the proportion of appointments missed by people with (a) cystic fibrosis and (b) other long term conditions.

Will Quince: We have no current plans to make a specific assessment. Through the Government’s commitment, all trusts that charge for hospital car parking now provide free parking to in-need groups, which include National Health Service staff working overnight, frequent outpatient attenders, disabled people and parents of children staying overnight in hospital. An assessment of in-need groups was undertaken during the development of this policy to capture as wide a range of patients as possible.To minimise the risk of patients missing appointments owing to parking issues, NHS England advise trusts that they should consider installing ‘pay on exit’ or similar schemes so that drivers pay only for the time that they have used when they leave.

Voluntary Scheme for Branded Medicines Pricing and Access

Daisy Cooper: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what recent steps his Department has taken to negotiate a new voluntary scheme for branded medicines, pricing and access.

Daisy Cooper: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what recent estimate he has made of when negotiations for the successor to the voluntary scheme for branded medicines, pricing and access will conclude.

Will Quince: The current voluntary scheme for branded medicines pricing and access finishes at the end of this year. Negotiations on a successor scheme began in May and aim to conclude later this year to take effect from January 2024. We cannot comment on ongoing commercially sensitive negotiations.We are open to ideas about how a successor voluntary scheme should operate from 2024 onwards and look forward to working with industry to agree a mutually beneficial scheme that supports the sustainability of NHS spend on branded medicines, better patient outcomes and enables a strong UK life sciences industry.

NHS: Buildings

Seema Malhotra: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what recent assessment he has made of the effect of the (a) size and (b) condition of NHS buildings on hospital waiting lists.

Will Quince: The Department recognises the importance of modern healthcare estates in tackling hospital waiting lists. At the Spending Review 2021, we backed the NHS with record levels of capital with £24 billion allocated between 2022/23 to 2024/25 to upgrade and modernise NHS buildings so staff have the facilities needed to provide world-class care for patients in a safe and appropriate environment. Recently, we reaffirmed our commitment to deliver 40 new hospitals by 2030 and we are continuing to deliver over 70 hospital upgrades across England.

NHS: Buildings

Seema Malhotra: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, with reference to the report of the British Medical Association entitled Building the future - brick by brick, published in 2022, whether his department plans to increase capital investment in the NHS to address maintenance backlogs.

Will Quince: At the Spending Review 2021, we backed the National Health Service with record levels of funding, allocating £24 billion between 2022/23 to 2024/25 to upgrade and modernise NHS buildings. This will ensure staff have the necessary facilities to provide world-class care.

Coronavirus: Immunosuppression

Daisy Cooper: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what progress his Department has made on convening a meeting between interested MPs and NHS England on recent NHS advice about contact with immunocompromised patients about treatment following a report of a positive covid-19 result.

Will Quince: The minister is in the process of scheduling a meeting between MPs, NHS England and the UK Health Security Agency to discuss the recent changes to operational guidance for how immunocompromised people who receive a positive COVID-19 result are able to access COVID-19 treatments.

Cancer: Vaccination

Ian Murray: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, pursuant to the Answer of 23 May 2023 to Question 186387 on Cancer: Vaccination and with reference to the oral contribution of the Secretary of State for Scotland on 29 March 2023, Official Report, column 1000, if he will meet the hon. Member for Edinburgh South to discuss cancer vaccine trials.

Will Quince: In May this year, the Government published its response to Lord O’Shaughnessy’s Review into Commercial Clinical Trials in the United Kingdom. The response accepted the recommendations from the O'Shaughnessy Review and identified five priority commitments to take forwards in the immediate term, backed by £121 million, all aimed at speeding up the set up and running of commercial clinical trials in the UK.The UK signed a Memorandum of Understanding with BioNTech in January, bringing their innovative research and development to the whole of the UK. Through the agreement, UK cancer patients will have access to trials exploring personalised mRNA cancer therapies. Ministers regularly meet with parliamentary colleagues across a range of health issues, meeting requests should be sent direct to the Department.

Commission On Human Medicines

Esther McVey: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, pursuant to the Answer of 13 June 2023 to Question 187628 on Commission on Human Medicines, and with reference to the Summary of the Commission on Human Medicines Meeting held between 1 March 2020 and 31 December 2020, when (a) a final decision on the issue under consideration at that meeting will be taken and (b) information withheld from the meeting summary under section 43 of the Freedom of Information Act 2000 will be released.

Will Quince: Multiple Commission on Human Medicines (CHM) meetings were held in the specified period, so further information is required for question A. The role of CHM is to provide the Licensing Authority with independent advice on the safety, efficacy and quality of medicinal products. It is the role of the Licensing Authority, on behalf of Secretary of State, to take a final decision to grant a marketing authorisation for a medicinal product. Following this decision a Public Assessment Report (PAR), containing the non-confidential parts of the MHRA’s assessment, is published on the MHRA website.CHM discuss high number of products and applications at each of their meetings. Information withheld under Section 43 of the Freedom of Information (FOI) Act is withheld because the information is either (1) a trade secret; (2) would likely prejudice the commercial interests of any legal person. There is no time limit after which this information can be released, moreover, any consideration of its release would be made by consideration of whether the public interest in releasing outweighs any commercial harm that could be caused by its release. More information on Section 43 of the FOI Act is available from the Information Commissioner’s Office.

Doctors: Migrant Workers

Rachael Maskell: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether he has had discussions with the Secretary of State for the Home Department on the potential impact of delays in international NHS doctors having their visas processed.

Will Quince: The Secretary of State for Health and Social Care regularly meets with Cabinet Office colleagues on a range of issues. Officials also regularly meet to discuss a number of topics.

Neurology: York Central

Rachael Maskell: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what was the cost to the public purse of emergency admissions to hospitals for people with neurological conditions in (a) 2020-21, (b) 2021-22 and (c) 2022-23 in York Central Constituency.

Will Quince: The information requested is not collected centrally.

Dementia: Research

Chi Onwurah: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how much government funding was allocated to dementia research in each of the last five years.

Will Quince: Government responsibility for delivering dementia research is shared between the Department of Health and Social Care, with research delivered by the National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR), and the Department of Science, Innovation and Technology, with research delivered via UK Research and Innovation (UKRI), mainly by the Medical Research Council (MRC) and Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC). The following table shows the amount spent on dementia research by these funders for the last five years.£ million2017/182018/192019/202020/212021/22NIHR4331.62921.931.3MRC34.956.54446.941.6ESRC47.45.987.4Total81.995.578.976.880.3

Coronavirus: Vaccination

Rosie Duffield: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what recent assessment his Department has made of the adequacy of the availability of covid-19 booster vaccines for people who are clinically vulnerable.

Maria Caulfield: The United Kingdom has sufficient supply of vaccines to meet the current advice from the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation for the 2023 spring and autumn booster campaigns. This includes agreements with Pfizer/BioNTech, Moderna, Sanofi/GSK and Novavax, which the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency has approved for use in the UK. We remain in regular contact with the vaccine manufacturers to ensure the future supply of vaccines to the UK.

HIV Infection: Drugs

Neil Coyle: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether his Department plan to publish the pre-exposure prophylaxis action plan prior to Parliament’s 2023 summer recess.

Neil O'Brien: The HIV Action Plan Implementation Steering Group is currently working to develop the roadmap, based on the PrEP Access and Equity Task and Finish group’s recommendations, to help guide our efforts to improve equitable access to PrEP for key populations. We will consider our response to the recommendations in due course.

Northern Ireland Office

Police Ombudsman for Northern Ireland: Correspondence

Mr Gregory Campbell: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, if he will make an assessment of the adequacy of the time taken for the Police Ombudsman to respond to correspondence from the hon. Member for East Londonderry on the case of David Caldwell in 2002.

Mr Steve Baker: The Northern Ireland Office has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

House of Commons Commission

Parliamentary Estate: Local Broadcasting

Mr Gregory Campbell: To ask the hon. Member for Broxbourne, representing the House of Commons Commission, pursuant to the Answer of 14 March 2023 to Question 160219 on Local Broadcasting: Parliamentary Estate, what the expected timescale is for access to BBC regional channels to be restored to televisions on the Parliamentary estate television network.

Sir Charles Walker: The BBC regional channels have been restored.The Bloomberg channel currently has no sound. This is awaiting parts and is expected to be restored by mid-July.Problems with tuning of televisions should be reported to the Parliamentary maintenance helpdesk.

Ministry of Defence

Ministry of Defence: Taiwan

Elizabeth Truss: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, whether his Department has had discussions with representatives of the Government of Taiwan in each of the last five years.

James Heappey: The UK has no diplomatic relations with Taiwan but a strong, unofficial relationship, based on deep and growing ties in a wide range of areas, underpinned by shared democratic values.The Ministry of Defence has had no discussions with representatives of the Taiwan administration in the last five years.

Russia: Politics and Government

Mr Tanmanjeet Singh Dhesi: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what assessment he has made of the risks posed to national security by political instability in Russia; and what steps he is taking to mitigate the risks of Russian nuclear weapons falling under the control of hostile non-state actors.

James Heappey: The first duty of Government is the defence of the UK and our interests. Defence is taking the political instability in Russia seriously and is closely monitoring and assessing events to understand how best to safeguard regional security and stability.

AWACS: Procurement

John Healey: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, in which year the Wedgetail surveillance planes will be operational.

James Cartlidge: I refer the right hon. Member to the answer my predecessor (Alex Chalk) gave on 7 March 2023 to Question 156935 to the right. hon Member for North Durham (Kevan Jones).AWACS Procurement (docx, 18.0KB)

Ministry of Defence: Electric Vehicles

Mr Kevan Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what proportion of his Department's civilian fleet is comprised of electric vehicles.

James Cartlidge: Of all vehicles within the Ministry of Defence's civilian fleet, leased through the Phoenix II Contract, 745 are electric, making up 5.86 % of the vehicles on the fleet. There are a further 1,414 hybrid vehicles which also contribute to the target of 100% of the fleet being Ultra Low Emission Vehicles (ULEV) in accordance with the Greening Government Commitment to Zero emissions by 2027.

Nuclear Weapons

Dave Doogan: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how much and what proportion of funding allocated to the defence nuclear enterprise in the spring budget 2023 his Department plans to allocate to (a) Atomic Weapons Establishment and (b) associated programmes.

James Cartlidge: The £3 billion uplift announced for the Defence Nuclear Enterprise in the Spring Statement now forms part of its overall funding allocation for the next two years. Funding will be managed routinely through the Department’s in year financial processes and allocated to nuclear projects in accordance with Departmental priorities.

Armed Forces: Housing

John Healey: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, with reference to the Written Statement of 20 June 2023, HCWS867, on Military Accommodation: Safety Inspections, how many individuals live in the 795 homes occupied by service families without valid gas certificates.

James Cartlidge: The Department can only provide this information at disproportionate cost.As at 20 June 2023, 795 homes occupied by Service families were without a valid gas certificate. This number reduced to 476 by 26 June 2023.

France: Minesweepers

John Healey: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, pursuant to the Answer of 30 March 2023 to Question 172977 on France: Minesweepers, whether the capability provided by the Maritime Mine Counter Measures sub programme is in service with the Royal Navy.

James Cartlidge: The Maritime Mine Counter Measures sub-programme will deliver effect incrementally as part of the overall Royal Navy Mine Hunting Capability.

France: Minesweepers

John Healey: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, pursuant to the Answer of 30 March 2023 to Question 172977 on France: Minesweepers, how many capability milestones there are in the Mine Hunting Capability Programme; and how many and what proportion of these have been met.

James Cartlidge: The Mine Hunting Capability (MHC) programme is based on an incremental procurement approach, with the system being delivered in two blocks. Block 1 and Project WILTON will together provide the first three MHC Mission Systems, expected to deliver on current plans an Initial Operating Capability in the mid-2020s as the key capability milestone.The scope of Block 2 is currently under development as part of the MHC Assessment Phase. Future capability milestones will be formally agreed at the appropriate approvals point.

Republic of Ireland: Airspace

Ian Paisley: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many times the RAF has been deployed to intercept aircraft in Republic of Ireland airspace in each of the last three years.

James Heappey: There have been no instances over the last three years of RAF aircraft being deployed to intercept aircraft within the airspace of the Republic of Ireland.

Armed Forces Covenant: Publicity

Charlotte Nichols: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what steps his Department is taking to promote Armed Forces Covenant among (a) businesses and (b) the general population.

Dr Andrew Murrison: Defence has a network of Defence Relationship Management National Account Managers and Regional Employer Engagement Directors who promote the signing of the Armed Forces Covenant to the employers they work with. They also help organisations through the process of devising their bespoke pledges and arranging signing events. The Government has met its manifesto commitment to strengthen the Armed Forces Covenant in law by introducing a new statutory Covenant Duty, which came into force in November 2022. The new duty helps promote better outcomes for the Armed Forces community when accessing key public services. Since 2015, local delivery has been supported by the Covenant Fund, looked after by the Armed Forces Covenant Fund Trust, of more than £10 million each year, which funds projects across the UK in support of the Armed Forces. The Trust have awarded over £14 million since 1 April 2022 to more than 300 projects that support the Armed Forces community across the UK.

Armed Forces

Scott Benton: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what assessment he has made of the potential merits of creating a specialist counter-insurgency force.

James Heappey: We will continue to develop our force structure and capabilities to allow us to contribute to addressing the full range of potential threats, including those from insurgents, to ensure we can both defend, deter and compete across all domains alongside our allies and partners.Any specific policy changes or updates to force structure will be determined once the update to the Defence Command Paper has concluded.

Trident Missiles

Dave Doogan: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what estimate he has made of the cost to the public purse of UK participation in the Trident II Service- Life Extension programme.

James Cartlidge: The United Kingdom (UK) approved participation in the United States (US) led Life Extension programme to enable Trident II D5 missiles to remain in service until at least the 2040s at a cost of £320.5 million. To maintain the shared inventory with the US, the UK additionally participates in other missile related programmes to sustain key components and extend the service life of the boost rocket motors at a cost of £140 million and £361 million respectively, taking the total cost to £821.5 million.

Nuclear Weapons: Procurement

Dave Doogan: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what was the cost to the public purse of the nuclear replacement warhead programme as of 26 June 2023.

James Cartlidge: The cost of the Replacement Warhead Programme up to 31 March 2022 (the last audited accounts) was £127 million.

Ministry of Defence: Official Cars

Mr Kevan Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what recent progress his Department has made on its Ultra Low Emissions Vehicle programme.

James Cartlidge: The Ministry of Defence (MOD) has made good progress on its Ultra Low Emissions Vehicle (ULEV) programme and at the end of financial year 2022-23, 28% of the MOD car fleet was ULEV. We are now working toward converting 100% of our car and van fleet to be fully zero emissions at the tailpipe by 31 December 2027. Of the 13,038 cars and vans currently in the fleet, 745 are currently zero emissions vehicles and 1,414 hybrid.

Guided Weapons: Procurement

John Healey: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what recent estimate he has made of when the capabilities to be delivered by the Future Cruise/Anti-Ship Weapon programme will be in service in the Royal Navy.

James Cartlidge: The Future Cruise/Anti-Ship Weapon (FC/ASW) programme is in the middle of the Assessment Phase which is currently on track. The planned assumption for service entry date for equipping the Royal Navy with a Future Offensive Surface Warfare capability under the FC/ASW programme is 2028.

War Graves: Wrecks

Patricia Gibson: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, whether he is taking steps with international counterparts to classify wrecks of warships as war graves.

Dr Andrew Murrison: The term “war graves” is one which only applies to the final resting places of fallen troops on land, and locations can only be designated as a war grave by the Commonwealth War Graves Commission (CWGC). However, as a matter of customary international law, all naval warships, state vessels and associated artefacts are afforded protection through the principle of Sovereign Immunity. The UK is of the view that, unless expressly relinquished or abandoned by the Flag State, the Sovereign Immunity of the wreck of any Crown vessel remains in place, regardless of where the wreck in question is located, and those who lost their lives in service of our country should be left in situ and undisturbed. Some warships are also afforded additional protection under the Protection of Military Remains Act (PMRA). Vessels of historical significance, at risk of salvage and that are the last resting place of our service personnel are considered for inclusion.

Home Office

Fire Prevention: Cambridgeshire and Suffolk

Daniel Zeichner: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether she has made a recent assessment of the potential impact of the end of fire appliance mobilising system collaboration between Suffolk Fire Authority and Cambridgeshire and Peterborough Fire Authority on fire safety in those areas.

Chris Philp: The Fire and Rescue Services Act 2004 requires each Fire and Rescue Authority to make arrangements for dealing with calls for help and for summoning personnel. How this is delivered is an operational decision, and one for the respective Chief Fire Officers who are both responsible and accountable to the public.My officials are aware of the potential plans to end the current collaboration agreement between Suffolk Fire Authority and Cambridgeshire & Peterborough Fire Authority and will continue to monitor the situation.

Crimes of Violence: Retail Trade

Theresa Villiers: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether she has held discussions with representatives of the retail sector on preventing attacks on staff working in shops.

Theresa Villiers: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what recent discussions she has had with the police on preventing attacks on people working in the retail sector.

Chris Philp: The Government is clear that violence and abuse towards any worker is not acceptable.The Home Office works closely with retailers and trade organisations and police partners via the National Retail Crime Steering Group (NRCSG) to understand the issues retailers are experiencing. The NRCSG meet twice yearly, and discussions include how to help reduce incidents of violence and abuse towards shop staff, and to support staff when this does occur.On a national level, we continue to work closely with the police-led National Business Crime Centre (NBCC) to understand the crimes affecting businesses and help ensure businesses and police are working effectively together.In addition, section 156 of the Police, Crime, Sentencing and Courts Act 2022 introduced a statutory aggravating factor for assault against any public facing worker. This ensures the courts treat the public-facing nature of a victim’s role as an aggravating factor when considering the sentence for any assault offence where they consider this factor to be relevant.

Heathrow Immigration Removal Centre: Children

Nadia Whittome: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether any children under the age of 18 are currently detained in Heathrow Immigration Removal Centre; and whether any children under the age of 18 have been detained in that centre in the last (a) week, (b) month and (c) year.

Nadia Whittome: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether her Department has made a recent assessment of the adequacy of living conditions inside the Heathrow Immigration Removal Centre.

Robert Jenrick: Prior to arrival at an immigration removal centre (IRC) all detained persons will have been assessed as over the age of 18 and deemed suitable for detention. In some cases, individuals who are detained subsequently claim to be children. Our contracted service providers follow published guidance - Detention Services Order 02/2019 - on managing those who claim to be under the age of 18 after entering detention, to safeguard and promote their welfare. The Home Office publishes statistics on people entering, in and leaving immigration detention in the ‘Immigration System Statistics Quarterly Release’. The number of people entering and in detention each quarter are in tables Det_D01 and Det_D02 of the ‘Detention detailed datasets’, where the data can be broken down by age and first place of detention or current place of detention. The number of people leaving detention each quarter are in table Det_D03 of the same datasets, where the data can be broken down by age. The latest data relates to the end of March 2023. The Home Office takes the welfare and safety of people in its care very seriously and is focused on providing decent, safe and secure accommodation in all immigration removal centres. Independent scrutiny is a vital part of assurance that detention facilities are safe, secure, and humane. Robust statutory oversight is provided by HM Chief Inspector of Prisons and the Independent Monitoring Boards, ensuring that detained individuals are treated with proper standards of care and decency.

Alcoholic Drinks and Drugs: Misuse

Alison Thewliss: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what assessment she has made of the contribution of (a) the South Community Recovery Network in Glasgow and (b) other recovery communities to reducing crime locally.

Chris Philp: No assessment has been made. Recovery from addictions in Scotland is a matter for the Scottish Government where powers are devolved for healthcare.

Homes for Ukraine Scheme

Sir Iain Duncan Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what assessment she has made of the implications for her policies of reports that a Russian intelligence agent has entered the UK under the Homes for Ukraine scheme; and if her Department will review the security vetting process for people coming to the UK through the Homes for Ukraine Scheme.

Robert Jenrick: These reports are misleading and inaccurate.Since February 2022, Russian nationals applying for any UK visa route have been subject to robust additional security checks. The UK Government is proud of the support we have given to Ukrainians fleeing Putin’s illegal invasion of Ukraine, with over 200,000 Ukrainian nationals and their families either arriving, or extending their existing leave, in the UK to secure sanctuary on our Ukraine Schemes.

Asylum: Children

Chi Onwurah: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many asylum applicants who made applications while under the age of 18 have had their substantive interviews cancelled due to turning 18 years of age and being classified as an adult in each of the last three years.

Robert Jenrick: The Home Office takes our duty of care towards children and young people extremely seriously and we prioritise applications from children and young people.If the child’s 18th birthday passes before a substantive asylum interview has been conducted, they are legally an adult. However, staff must follow best practice on children’s cases. The child is interviewed by a decision maker who has completed the appropriate training for handling children’s asylum claims and be given an opportunity to discuss the statement of evidence form (SEF) as it may refer to issues that are child specific.The decision maker is trained in handling children’s cases. The Home Office would not therefore cancel interviews based on a child turning 18. Where the applicant has since admitted to being an adult, or evidence confirms the applicant as an adult, at the point of claiming asylum, the application is assessed as an adult claim. Section 67 of the Immigration Act 2016 asylum casework guidance (publishing.service.gov.uk)

Crime: Wildlife

Sarah Olney: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what assessment she has made of the potential merits of classifying wildlife crime distinctly within crime statistics.

Chris Philp: The Home Office already collects information on several wildlife offences recorded by the police in England and Wales which form part of the Notifiable Offence List (NOL) that forces are required to report to the Home Secretary. These are published on a quarterly basis by the Office for National Statistics. The latest data can be accessed in table A4 here: https://www.ons.gov.uk/peoplepopulationandcommunity/crimeandjustice/datasets/crimeinenglandandwalesappendixtablesThe NOL is generally restricted to those offences which are either triable either way (can be tried in Magistrates or Crown Courts) or indictable only (can only be tried in Crown Courts). Offences which are summary only (those that can only be tried in Magistrates Courts) do not form part of the NOL except for a very small number of violence against the person offences.

Visas: Sudan

Jessica Morden: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what her Department's policy is for Sudanese nationals whose visitor visas are due to expire but are unable to return to Sudan.

Robert Jenrick: The Government’s priority has been the successful evacuation of British citizens, and other nationals from Sudan. We are currently considering options for existing Sudanese visa holders who are present in the UK. We expect individuals holding a UK visa to comply with the conditions of the leave they have been granted. Those who require immigration advice (including how to check the eligibility for legal aid which can help pay for legal advice) should contact a regulated immigration adviser. Further information can be found here: Find an immigration adviser - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)

Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities

Renters (Reform) Bill

Christopher Pincher: To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, whether he plans to ensure pre legislative scrutiny of the proposed Renters Reform Bill.

Rachel Maclean: The Renters (Reform) Bill was introduced on 17 May 2023. Ahead of introduction, we undertook comprehensive consultation with stakeholders from across the sector and published the 'A Fairer Private Rented Sector' White Paper which outlined our reforms. The Bill will undergo legislative scrutiny during its passage through Parliament and we will continue to work closely with stakeholders.

Buildings: Insulation

Hilary Benn: To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, what data the Government held on the remediation of buildings that have non-ACM cladding safety faults as of 21 June 2023.

Lee Rowley: Information on the remediation progress of high-rise residential buildings with unsafe non-ACM cladding systems progressing through the Building Safety Fund can be found here.Information on the remediation progress of buildings that are covered by the developer remediation contract and which have life-critical fire safety defects (including unsafe non-ACM cladding systems) and on the progress of buildings in the Cladding Safety Scheme is being collated and will be published in due course.

Estate Agents: Codes of Practice

Gareth Johnson: To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, if his Department will introduce a single, mandatory, legally enforceable code of practice for property agents.

Gareth Johnson: To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, whether his Department plans to make letting and managing agents subject to the same regulation as sales agents.

Rachel Maclean: It is already a legal requirement for letting and managing agents in England and Wales, and residential sales (estate) agents in the UK, to belong to one of the two Government approved redress schemes.The Government is considering the recommendations in the final report on the regulation of property agents from Lord Best's working group. We will continue to work with industry on improving best practice, including in relation to codes of practice. Announcements will be set out in the usual way.

Freehold and Leasehold: Service Charges

Gareth Johnson: To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, what steps his Department is taking to regulate service charges by management agencies on leaseholders and freeholders.

Gareth Johnson: To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, what steps his Department is taking to ensure that management companies provide a minimum service level for leaseholders and freeholders.

Gareth Johnson: To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, if he will take steps to introduce a right to appeal for (a) leaseholders and (b) freeholders in relation to disputes with a management agency.

Rachel Maclean: This Government is committed to promoting fairness and transparency for homeowners and making sure that consumers are protected from abuse and poor service.By law, variable service charges must be reasonable and, where costs relate to works or services, the works or services must be of a reasonable standard. Leaseholders may make an application to the appropriate tribunal to challenge the reasonableness of their service charges. We are committed to better protecting and empowering leaseholders by giving them more information on what their costs pay for, and removing barriers to challenge when things go wrong.For those homeowners living on freehold estates, we are also committed to making the management companies more accountable to their freeholders.We are due to bring forward further leasehold reforms later in this parliament.

Private Rented Housing: Surveys

Christopher Pincher: To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, pursuant to the Answer of 24 April to Question 177791 on Private Rented Housing: Sales, if he will take steps to ensure that data collected from the next English Private Landlord Survey informs the drafting of the Renters Reform Bill.

Christopher Pincher: To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, whether he plans to commission an updated English Private Landlord Survey.

Rachel Maclean: The Government introduced the Renters (Reform) Bill to Parliament on 17 May 2023.The department's main source of data on private landlords is the English Private Landlord Survey. The most recent 2021 English Private Landlord Survey, alongside a range of other data, is used to support policy development.

Wind Power: Planning Permission

James Murray: To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, whether he will make it his policy to reduce planning restrictions for new onshore wind farms in England.

Rachel Maclean: I refer the Hon. Member to my answer to Question UIN 181460 on 24 April 2023.

Land Registry: Applications

Chi Onwurah: To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, pursuant to the Answer of 15 June 2023 to Question 188909 on Land Registry: Applications, what the average time was for an HM Land Registry Application Enquiry that did not involve a first time registration to be processed in the latest period for which data is available.

Chi Onwurah: To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, pursuant to the Answer of 15 June 2023 to Question 188909 on Land Registry: Applications, whether the grant of a new title is considered an application to register land for the first time.

Rachel Maclean: HM Land Registry (HMLR) publishes information about its average processing times for each category of application type on GOV.UK here. The information is updated monthly and reflects the average experience based on the previous month's activity.Applications to register new titles that are created by a transfer or lease of land that is not already registered would be included in the category of applications to register land for the first time.

Elections: Proof of Identity

Charlotte Nichols: To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, what discussions he has had with the Minister for the Cabinet Office on the review of voter ID changes following the May 2023 local elections.

Dehenna Davison: In line with the practice of successive administrations, details of internal discussions are not normally disclosed.

Local Government: Devolution

Paula Barker: To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, what assessment his Department has made of the potential merits of (a) increasing devolution in England and (b) giving Metro Mayors local tax raising powers.

Dehenna Davison: We are already extending devolution across England.Through the announcement of six new devolution deals last year and most recently ground-breaking trailblazer devolution deals with Greater Manchester and West Midlands Combined Authorities, as well as the publication of the English Devolution Accountability Framework, the Government is empowering local leaders by ensuring they have more control and influence over the decisions that affect their communities. We will continue to work with local government in England to establish and grow new mayoral combined authorities, combined county authorities, and county deals. Our existing mayors are already playing a powerful role in driving economic growth, improving public services and giving local areas a voice on the national stage. The Government recognises the importance of fiscal devolution in England.

Levelling Up Fund

Alex Norris: To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, what assessment his Department has made of the causes of regional imbalance in the allocation of levelling up funding.

Alex Norris: To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, whether his Department has made an assessment of the potential merits of working alongside local decision makers when allocating levelling up funding.

Dehenna Davison: The department has used a range of criteria and approaches to ensure all levelling up funds are distributed fairly and equitably around the UK. We have been transparent throughout, publishing our criteria, assessment methodology and decisions on GOV.UK.The department works closely with local government in all parts of the UK.

Treasury

Public Sector: Pay

Beth Winter: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what assessment he has made of the potential implications for his policies on public sector pay awards of the increase in the Bank of England base rate to five per cent.

John Glen: The independent Pay Review Bodies (PRBs) provide recommendations on the pay awards for most frontline workforces including teachers, armed forces, and police officers. The PRBs consider a range of evidence when forming their recommendations, including the economic context facing the UK; and the Government’s inflation target.

Public Sector Debt

Mr Gregory Campbell: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, if he will make an estimate of the expected level of public sector net debt in April 2024.

John Glen: The Treasury does not publish forecasts of the economy or public finances; the Office for Budget Responsibility (OBR) is the UK’s official forecaster and provides independent analysis of the UK’s public finances. The OBR’s latest forecast can be found on their website: https://obr.uk/efo/economic-and-fiscal-outlook-march-2023/ The OBR will publish an updated forecast later this year.

Business: Costs

Beth Winter: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, with reference to the letter from the Chancellor of the Exchequer to the Governor of the Bank of England of 22 June 2023, what steps he is taking to help ensure that decreases in input costs are passed on to consumers.

Andrew Griffith: On 22 June 2023, the Chancellor of the Exchequer wrote to the Governor of the Bank of England recognising that high inflation is the greatest immediate economic challenge to address. The Chancellor of the Exchequer met with regulator Chief Executive Officers on 28 June 2023 to discuss what action they are taking to mitigate the impacts of high inflation and support the most vulnerable. He asked regulators to take immediate action in areas where their sectors can do more to help consumers.

Taxation: EU Countries

Dave Doogan: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, if he will publish the criteria through which the UK would decline to pursue a tax claim made by an EU state against a UK national under the Mutual Assistance in Recovery of Debt arrangements.

Victoria Atkins: The criteria through which the UK would decline to pursue a tax claim made by an EU state against a UK national under the Mutual Assistance in Recovery of Debt arrangements (Council Directive 2010/24/EU) are already published on the GOV.UK website here: DMBM560100.

Bank Cards: Fraud

Mr Gregory Campbell: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what information his Department holds on changes in the level of illegal transactions using stolen cards in the 18 months (a) before and (b) after higher contactless payments limits were introduced in October 2021.

Andrew Griffith: UK Finance publishes data on payment industry fraud, including on unauthorised card payment fraud. The revised limits for contactless payments were set by the FCA following public consultation. The FCA continues to monitor fraud rates across all payment types and will consider action as appropriate if fraud rates rise. Victims of unauthorised payment card fraud are legally protected against losses. Industry analysis indicates that customers are fully refunded in excess of 98 per cent of all confirmed cases.

Question

Christine Jardine: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what support his Department is providing to small and medium-sized enterprises to help with costs in the context of the rate of inflation.

Gareth Davies: The Government recognises the challenges facing businesses and that is why we have made it a priority to halve inflation this year, on the path back to the target of 2%. We have taken several steps to support small and medium sized enterprises (SMEs), including a substantial package of business rates support worth £13.6bn over the next five years; additional tax relief at a higher rate of 14.5% for R&D intensive SMEs; and the Small Profits Rate will mean 70% of businesses will see no increase in Corporation Tax this year. The supply side policies announced at Spring Budget – such as action on childcare support – will also provide a boost to growth without fuelling inflation and ease the pressures faced by SMEs by delivering the workforce they need to succeed.

Motor Vehicles: Taxation

Paula Barker: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, whether his Department has made an assessment of the potential merits of charging tax on (a) scooters and (b) other smaller petrol motor vehicles.

Gareth Davies: Vehicle Excise Duty (VED) is a tax on mechanically propelled vehicles kept or used on public roads. This includes petrol cars and motorcycles.Rates for cars can vary based on date of first registration, engine size and emissions. Rates for motorcycles can vary based on engine size. For the purposes of VED, a motorcycle is defined as a motorbicycle or motortricycle that does not exceed 450kg unladen and therefore includes some vehicles that are commonly referred to as ‘scooters’. Currently petrol cars, first registered between March 2001 and March 2017 and with emissions of less than 100g/km CO2 as well as all electrically propelled vehicles are exempt from VED. At Autumn Statement 2022 the Chancellor announced that from 1 April 2025 all electric cars, vans and motorcycles would pay VED in the same way as petrol and diesel equivalents. This will mean that all cars, vans and motorcycles will pay VED unless otherwise exempt. As with all taxes, VED is kept under review and any changes are considered and announced by the Chancellor.

Mortgages

Mr Tanmanjeet Singh Dhesi: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, whether his Department is taking steps to support (a) first-time buyers and (b) people who have large capital balances on their mortgages.

Andrew Griffith: The pricing and availability of mortgages is a commercial decision for lenders in which the Government does not intervene. However, the Government remains committed to making the aspiration of homeownership a reality for as many households as possible. We operate a range of schemes that aim to increase the supply of low-deposit mortgages for credit-worthy households, including first-time buyers, increase the availability of new housing, and stimulate economic growth. The Government also helps first-time buyers to save for a deposit through the Lifetime ISA and Help to Buy: ISA. We recognise this will be a concerning time for existing mortgage borrowers, particularly those who are due to come to the end of their existing deal in the immediate future. On 26 June, we – alongside industry and the Financial Conduct Authority – published the Mortgage Charter. This Charter sets out the standards lenders will adopt when helping their customers; signatories will provide borrowers with new flexibilities to manage their mortgage payments over a short period. This is in addition to the measures the Government has already taken aimed at helping people to avoid repossession, including Support for Mortgage Interest (SMI) loans, and protection in the courts through the Pre-Action Protocol.

Inflation

Mr Tanmanjeet Singh Dhesi: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what fiscal steps he is taking to help tackle inflation.

Andrew Griffith: The fiscal steps that are being taken to tackle inflation have been set out in the recent open letter from the Chancellor of the Exchequer to the Governor of the Bank of England. https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/1164809/Chancellor_Open_CPI_Letter_-_June_2023.pdf Further, active policy decisions that reduce inflation this year, including extending the Energy Price Guarantee and maintaining the 5p cut in fuel duty, were set out at Spring Budget 2023. https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/1144441/Web_accessible_Budget_2023.pdf

Interest Rates: Inflation

Mr Tanmanjeet Singh Dhesi: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what recent discussions he has had with the Bank of England on the impact of interest rate changes on the level of inflation.

Andrew Griffith: High inflation is the greatest economic challenge that we must address, which is why the Government has made it a priority to halve inflation this year, on the path back to the 2% target. Monetary policy is the responsibility of the independent Monetary Policy Committee at the Bank of England, and they have the Government’s full support as they take action to return inflation back to target. Consistent with monetary policy independence, the Chancellor has regular meetings with the Governor of the Bank. Open exchange of views in these meetings is critical for the Government and the Bank to understand each other’s views on the outlook for the economy and monetary and fiscal policy, to support policy making in both institutions. These meetings are therefore confidential.

Mortgages: Interest Rates

Seema Malhotra: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what tools his Department uses to assess the impact of the increase in the Bank of England base rate on mortgage holders.

Andrew Griffith: HM Treasury is regularly in contact with mortgage lenders on all aspects of their mortgage business to understand their position and current lending conditions, including at a roundtable hosted by the Chancellor on Friday 23 June. However, we recognise this will be a concerning time for all mortgage holders, particularly those who are due to come to the end of their existing deal in the immediate future. The Prime Minister has been clear, the best and most important way that we can keep costs and interest rates down for people is to halve inflation, and then return it to the 2% target. At the roundtable on Friday 23 June, the Chancellor met with mortgage lenders, UK Finance and the FCA to discuss a new package of support for those who encounter problems keeping up with their mortgage payments. These commitments include an agreement permitting customers to switch to an interest only mortgage, or extend their mortgage term, for 6 months, after which they can switch back without a new affordability check or it affecting their credit score. Lenders also agreed borrowers won’t have their home repossessed within 12 months from a first missed payment without their consent or unless in exceptional circumstances. This is in addition to the measures the Government has already taken aimed at helping people to avoid repossession, including Support for Mortgage Interest (SMI) loans, and protection in the courts through the Pre-Action Protocol.

Economic Recession

Mr Tanmanjeet Singh Dhesi: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what recent assessment he has made of whether the economy will be in recession in the next 18 months.

Andrew Griffith: The Office for Budget Responsibility are the government’s official forecaster, and their most recent forecast shows they do not expect the UK economy to enter recession at any point across the five-year forecast horizon. Additionally, the Treasury’s recent release of the Independent Forecasts for the UK Economy shows no technical recessions expectations for 2023 from 10 out of 11 external forecasters.

Economic Situation: Coronavirus

Charlotte Nichols: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what recent assessment he has made of the impact of the Government’s economic policies during the covid-19 pandemic on the economy.

Andrew Griffith: The Covid-19 pandemic has had a profound effect on the UK economy. Between 2019 Q4 and 2020 Q2, according to the Office for National Statistics the economy contracted by 23% - the steepest recession on record. The success of the UK’s vaccination campaign led to a strong recovery in GDP, with annual growth of 7.5% in 2021 and 4.1% in 2022. In both these years, GDP growth in the UK was the fastest in the G7. The Government acted quickly to prevent catastrophic increases in unemployment during the pandemic. The Government provided up to £400 billion of direct support for the economy which helped to safeguard jobs, businesses and public services in every region and nation of the UK. .

Department for Business and Trade

Deep Sea Mining: Marine Environment

Caroline Lucas: To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what steps her Department is taking to collect scientific evidence about the potential impact of deep sea mining on deep-sea ecosystems.

Ms Nusrat Ghani: The UK is continuing to develop a better understanding of the impacts of deep-sea mining. Through Government sponsorship of academic research and existing exploration licences, over 70 peer-reviewed publications supporting a greater understanding of environmental issues have already been produced, with more to come. We have also commissioned an independent evidence review into the potential risks and benefits of deep-sea mining, and this has been published in line with our commitment to transparency and developing the global evidence base in relation to deep-sea mining. The review was published in October 2022 and is available here:https://www.bgs.ac.uk/news/deep-sea-mining-evidence-review-published/  Further and detailed environmental impact assessments would be required in advance of any exploitation licence being issued by the UK.

Iron and Steel: Manufacturing Industries

Charlotte Nichols: To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what steps she is taking to help support the steel industry.

Ms Nusrat Ghani: The Government is actively engaging with the steel industry for a sustainable future and my Rt. Hon Friend the Secretary of State for Business & Trade recently visited British Steel in Scunthorpe and Tata Steel in Port Talbot. The British Industry Supercharger will bring energy costs for energy intensive industries, including steel, in line with the world’s major economies. The industry has been able to bid into various funds to support energy efficiency and decarbonisation. We have updated the Steel Procurement Policy Note to create a level playing field for UK steel producers, implemented a robust trade remedies framework to protect domestic industry, and acted to resolve market access constraints on steel trade with the US and the EU. A Government loan to Celsa Steel UK supported 1,800 jobs and has been repaid in full.

Business: Environment Protection

Catherine West: To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what steps she has taken to help support British green-energy businesses to expanding into Indian markets.

Nigel Huddleston: The Department for Business and Trade has dedicated teams across the UK and India who provide specialist export support for the UK’s green energy industries. In addition, the Clean Growth Faculty within our Export Academy provides training and practical support for SMEs looking to export. We promote the UK’s capabilities through bringing together government, industry, and buyers at major events, including last November’s Green Trade and Investment Expo, and our annual UK-India Offshore Wind Summit. These services are complimented by UK Export Finance, which ensures no viable UK green energy export fails for lack of finance or insurance.

Trading Standards

Neil Coyle: To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what steps her Department is taking to ensure trading standards representatives can access the information from (a) companies and (b) individuals they need.

Kevin Hollinrake: Schedule 5 of the Consumer Rights Act 2015 provides Trading Standards and other enforcers a power to request information by notice from any person – this includes requesting information from firms and individuals. The Digital Markets, Competition and Consumers Bill further strengthens these powers by adding provision for the imposition of penalties for non-compliance with an information request.

Vanguard

Chi Onwurah: To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what assessment she had made of the potential implication for her policies of Vanguard Group Inc's decision to rescind on its commitments to Net Zero 2050 targets in the context of that Group being a signatory to the Stewardship Code.

Kevin Hollinrake: The UK Stewardship Code sets high standards for stewardship practice and disclosure. Signatories must explain their approaches to investment, including with regard to systemic risks such as climate change, and report annually on the outcome of their stewardship activities. It is for individual companies to decide which initiatives or commitments they pledge to fulfil. The Code does not require signatories to be committed to specific initiatives or targets. The Government welcomes the continued growth of the UN-convened Net Zero Asset Managers Alliance, which now has 301 signatories representing $59 trillion assets under management.

Zero Hours Contracts: Stockport

Navendu Mishra: To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, whether her Department has made an estimate of the number of people on zero hours contracts in Stockport constituency.

Kevin Hollinrake: Zero hours contracts are an important part of the UK’s flexible labour market. They are useful where there is not a constant demand for staff, allowing flexibility for both employers and individuals – like carers, people studying, or retirees. For some, a zero hours contract may be the type of contract which works best for them. Individuals on zero hours contracts represent a very small proportion of the workforce. The ONS estimates that 122,000 people aged 16 and over were employed on a zero hours contract in North West England in January – March 2023, representing 3.5% of people in employment in the area.

Trade Agreements

Darren Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, when her Department plans to publish the first biennial free trade agreement monitoring report.

Nigel Huddleston: The department has previously set out its intention to publish a biennial FTA monitoring report. The department is currently considering the approach to these reports to ensure they are robust, useful, and proportionate.Ongoing monitoring of our FTAs helps to deliver benefits to business and inform the approach to governments future trade policies.

Retail Trade: Interest Rates

Rachael Maskell: To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, if she will make an assessment of the potential impact of the increase of the Bank of England base rate to five per cent on high street businesses.

Kevin Hollinrake: Government recognises the pressures faced by businesses because of increased rates, which is why the Autumn Statement 2022 announced a package of changes to business rates worth £13.6bn over the next 5 years in lower bills. This includes a freeze to the multiplier, scrapping the downward revaluation cap and extending and increasing the generosity of the Retail, Hospitality and Leisure Relief from 50% to 75% in 2023-24. This is in addition to the Energy Bills Discount Scheme; the increased Employment Allowance of £5,000 and setting the Annual Investment Allowance at £1 million permanently. This is a comprehensive package of support that will help protect high street businesses.

Prime Minister: Trade Promotion

Sir Chris Bryant: To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, how much from the public purse was spent by each of his Trade Envoys in the last year.

Nigel Huddleston: Trade Envoys are a valuable resource and support Ministers in progressing our trade and investment agenda in 66 markets across the world. A total of £264,192 was spent in the last year (June 2022 – June 2023). These costs represent the cost of flights and some hotel and other sundry expenses when the official British residence was unavailable or inappropriate. It would not be in the national interest to publish individual breakdowns, given it could create misconceptions that certain countries were favoured or prioritised over others, undermining the UK’s international relations and diplomacy.

Iron and Steel: Environment Protection

Bill Esterson: To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what progress her Department has made on establishing a Clean Steel Fund.

Ms Nusrat Ghani: The Government recognises the vital role that the steel sector plays across the UK economy. We will continue to work with the sector to support its decarbonisation efforts and we have already established various funding schemes such as the Industrial Energy Transformation Fund (IETF) and the Industrial Decarbonisation and Hydrogen Revenue Support (IDHRS) in this regard. A decision on the Clean Steel Fund has not yet been taken as we are continuing to work with the sector to understand its decarbonisation investment plans.

Department for Work and Pensions

Universal Credit: Young People

Jonathan Ashworth: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what the total number of young people aged 16 to 24 on Universal Credit with (a) limited capability for work and (b) limited capability for work and work-related activity was in (i) 2021-22 and (ii) 2022-23.

Tom Pursglove: The latest available information on the number of people on Universal Credit at the second Thursday of the month, by stage of UC Health and age, from April 2019 to March 2023, is published and can be found in the ‘UC Health Caseload’ dataset on Stat-Xplore. Users can log in or access Stat-Xplore as a guest and, if needed, can access guidance on how to extract the information required.

Universal Credit

Jonathan Ashworth: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many and what proportion of the people in the Universal Credit Intensive Work Search group were aged between 16 and 24 in total in financial year (a) 2021-22 and (b) 2022-23.

Guy Opperman: In total, there were 790,000 16 to 24 year olds in the Intensive Work Search group in 2021/22 and 570,000 in 2022/23.  Notes:Numbers of individuals are rounded to the nearest 10,000 and proportions are rounded to the nearest percentage point.Individuals are counted against the financial year 2021-22 with respect to assessment periods covering the second Thursday of April 2021 to the second Thursday of March 2022, and similarly for financial year 2022-23. Individuals are not counted if they are in the Intensive Work Search group only in one or more assessment periods that don't cover any second Thursdays in the financial year.Individuals who have more than one spell in the Intensive Work Search group during the financial year are counted once.Individuals who were aged 16-24 for only part of the financial year are included.

Department for Work and Pensions: Training

Beth Winter: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what training his Department provides to Employment and Support Allowance and Personal Independence Payment assessment staff on the needs of autistic people across the spectrum.

Beth Winter: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many and what proportion of Employment and Support Allowance and Personal Independence Payment assessment staff have received training on the needs of autistic people across the spectrum.

Tom Pursglove: The department and its assessment providers (APs) are fully committed to supporting those with mental health conditions. All health professionals (HPs) receive comprehensive training in the functional assessment of disability and mental health conditions, including Autism. APs also provide their HPs with condition specific information on Autism, which has been externally quality assured by relevant experts. In addition, mental health function champions support HPs by providing additional expertise on mental health, cognitive, developmental, and learning disabilities, and can be consulted at any time during the assessment process.

Access to Work Programme: Standards

Vicky Foxcroft: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many applications to the Access to Work Scheme were outstanding as of 21 June 2023; and what steps he is taking to reduce the number of outstanding applications.

Tom Pursglove: As of the 21st June 2023 there were 22,809 applications outstanding. Please note that the data supplied is derived from unpublished management information, which was collected for internal Departmental use only, and have not been quality assured to National Statistics or Official Statistics publication standard. They should therefore be treated with caution. Access to Work has received a significant increase in applications over the last year and have recruited new staff to meet the increased demand and reduce the time it takes to make decisions. Customers making new applications where they are starting work within the next 4 weeks, or have a grant coming to an end that requires renewal are prioritised to ensure customers are able to enter and remain in the labour market. We are also streamlining and transforming the Access to Work service through increased digitalisation, that will make the service more efficient, will make the application process easier, and improve the time taken from application through to decision.

Universal Credit: Youth Services

Jonathan Ashworth: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what support is available to young jobseekers in the Universal Credit Intensive Work Search group who are referred to a Youth Hub which is not available to those accessing services through their local Jobcentre.

Guy Opperman: Youth Hubs are part of the wider DWP Youth Offer. Youth Hubs are based in partner premises across Great Britain and bring together employment support from a Jobcentre Plus work coach and place-based wrap around support from local partners to help young people into work. The wider support offered in a Youth Hub will be dependent on local needs. Employability support to build confidence and motivation, access to training and advice on debt, housing and mental health are examples of the enhanced offer some Youth Hubs are providing.

Work Capability Assessment: Autism

Beth Winter: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, whether his Department offers autistic people exemption from repeated assessment.

Tom Pursglove: Repeat assessments serve an important role, as they ensure that claimants are receiving the amount of benefit that correctly reflects the extent of the impact that their disability or health condition has on their functional ability. However, we recognise that some people have severe conditions that are unlikely to change. As outlined in the Health & Disability White Paper, we are testing a Severe Disability Group so those with severe and lifelong conditions that are unlikely to improve can benefit from a simplified process without ever needing to complete a detailed application form or go through a face-to-face assessment or frequent re-assessments. It is being tested on a small scale across a range of health conditions to make sure it works as intended. We have also made changes to reduce unnecessary reassessments. For instance, the Severe Conditions Criteria (SCC) were introduced in 2017 and are applied during the Work Capability Assessment (WCA). They identify claimants who have severe disabling lifelong conditions that will never improve, and whose level of function would always mean that they are unlikely ever to be able to move into work. Claimants who meet the SCC will not be routinely reassessed. For Personal Independence Payment (PIP) claimants, we have ensured that people whose needs will not improve and most people over State Pension age, receive an ongoing PIP award with a ‘light touch’ review at the 10-year point. Ongoing awards can be applied to any level or combination of award outcome, so long as the person’s needs are unlikely to change. A review can take place sooner if a person’s needs change. We are committed to supporting people with autism to access the right benefits and the right support. This is why all assessors conducting WCAs and Personal Independence Payment (PIP) assessments receive training on assessing people with Autistic Spectrum Disorders.

Disability

Vicky Foxcroft: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, with reference to the oral contribution of the Minister for Disabled People, Health and Work on 19 June 2023, column 565, in response to the Rt hon Member for New Forest West, how the National Disability Strategy and the Disability Action Plan will interrelate.

Tom Pursglove: The Disability Action Plan is separate from, and in addition to, the National Disability Strategy. The Disability Action Plan will set out how we will go further in 2023 and 2024 to improve disabled people’s lives, while the National Disability Strategy, which set out our long term vision, is subject to ongoing litigation.

Jobcentres: Training

Beth Winter: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many and what proportion of Jobcentre Plus staff have received training on the communication needs of autistic people.

Tom Pursglove: The DWP is committed to providing the best possible support for all customers to meet their individual circumstances. Since the national roll-out of Universal Credit (2016) all DWP Work Coaches undergo a comprehensive learning journey. The learning provides staff with the knowledge and skills to enable them to treat each customer as an individual regardless of additional or complex needs. In addition to this, DWP offer a learning product specific to autistic awareness, which is available to all work coaches on an ‘at point of need’ basis. The product includes:adapt how you communicate verballyadapt your body languageshow empathyadapt your environment We do not keep information on how many work coaches have used this particular product.

Jobcentres: Training

Beth Winter: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what training his Department provides to Jobcentre Plus staff on the communication needs of autistic people.

Tom Pursglove: The DWP is committed to providing the best possible support for all customers to meet their individual circumstances.Work Coaches undergo a comprehensive learning journey when they join the DWP. The learning provides staff with the knowledge and skills to enable them to treat each claimant as an individual regardless of additional or complex needs.In addition to this, DWP offer a learning product specific to Autistic awareness which is available to all work coaches on an ‘at point of need’ basis. The product includes:adapt how you communicate verballyadapt your body languageshow empathyadapt your environment

Employment Schemes: Young People

Jonathan Ashworth: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how much his Department spent on the Youth Employment Programme in each financial year since it was launched; and how much his Department is forecast to spend on the Youth Employment Programme in (a) 2023-24 and (b) 2024-25.

Mims Davies: The information requested is not collated centrally and could only be provided at disproportionate cost.

Department for Work and Pensions: Automation

Jonathan Ashworth: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, if he will publish details on the sixty-five scaled and transitioned automations created by the Intelligence Automation Garage.

Mims Davies: Since its inception in 2018, the Intelligent Automation Garage (IAG) has delivered 65 automations. This has enabled DWP to save money and operational hours as well as increasing accuracy through transforming DWP services, making processes easier for users to deliver better outcomes for our citizens. It has a culture of pioneering new and innovative technologies to reduce the reputational risk and citizen impact across our systems. The IAG works predominantly in large scale processing supporting customer facing colleagues in quickly reducing backlogs with improved accuracy and compliance. It does this across a range of benefit lines including: Employment and Support Allowance, Jobseekers Allowance, Social fund, Carers Allowance and Pension credit. Automations to date include: Bundle Builder, Letters of Entitlement, Think Secure Chatbot, Budgeting Loans, Employment and Support Allowance Fit Notes, Faster Payments and Department for Communities in Northern Ireland mail scanning. Other supported functionalities include: sending SMS text messages to citizens, generating letters to notify citizens about a change in benefit status and processing benefit payments.

Ministry of Justice

Cannabis

Paula Barker: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many prosecutions have taken place for the possession of cannabis excluding those with intent to distribute since 1 January 2020.

Edward Argar: The Ministry of Justice publishes information on the number of prosecutions for possession of cannabis offences, in England and Wales, in the Outcomes by Offence tool, available here: https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/1158218/outcomes-by-offence-2022.xlsx.Using the HO offence code filter, select the following offences:‘09261 - Having possession of a controlled drug - class B (cannabis, including cannabis resin, cannabinol and cannabinol derivatives)’‘09266 - Having possession of a controlled drug - class C (cannabis, including cannabis resin, cannabinol and cannabinol derivatives) - historic’

Custodial Treatment

Mr Ben Bradshaw: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many people serving in category (a) C and (b) D prisons have been in custody for 10 years or longer as of 21 June 2023.

Damian Hinds: We are unable to provide data on the number of people serving in category C and D prisons who have been in custody for 10 years or longer as of 21 June 2023 at this time. This is because they are exempt from disclosure under statistics publication rules outlined in the Code of Practice for Statistics; as they will form a subset of future published statistics.Data relating to 21 June would need to be extracted from information which will be used to form the next Offender Management Statistics Quarterly publication which is scheduled for release on 27 July 2023.

Ministry of Justice: Disability

Vicky Foxcroft: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, with reference to the National Disability Strategy, published on 28 July 2021, which of his Department’s commitments in that strategy that have not been paused as a result of legal action have (a) been fully, (b) been partially and (c) not been implemented.

Mike Freer: I refer the honourable Member to the answer I gave on Thursday 22 June to Question 189790: Written questions and answers - Written questions, answers and statements - UK Parliament.

Legal Aid Scheme

Charlotte Nichols: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, whetherheistakingstepstoincreasetheavailabilityoflegal aid.

Mike Freer: The changes we are making to the legal aid means test will significantly expand legal aid eligibility. We estimate that this will mean that an additional 2 million people in England and Wales will have access to civil legal aid, and 3.5 million more will have access to legal aid at the magistrates’ court.We are also investing up to £10m each year through the creation of a Housing Loss Prevention Advice Service. This will enable people facing the loss of their home to receive early legal advice on housing, debt and welfare benefits issues as well as representation in court from 1 August 2023.We made changes to family legal in February this year, injecting a further £13m in funding each year. One of the changes ensures Special Guardianship Orders brought in private law proceedings are now within scope of legal aid. We have also updated the supporting evidence requirements for victims of domestic abuse when they apply for certain legal aid services. This means medical practitioners can now provide a letter as evidence of domestic abuse after a telephone or video-conferencing consultation, rather than only after a face-to-face appointment.Finally, we are spending around £8m on expanding legal aid provision through the Nationality and Borders Act. In all other immigration matters, individuals can apply for Exceptional Case Funding, where they can show that without legal aid, there is a risk that their human rights may be breached.The Legal Aid Agency monitors capacity in the legal aid market and the provision of services and takes immediate action when gaps appear.

Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

Hedges and Ditches: Conservation

Olivia Blake: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, pursuant to the Answer of 15 June 2023 to Question 189114 on Hedges and Ditches: Conservation, what is her expected timeline for when the consultation on regulatory arrangements will be published.

Mark Spencer: On 28 June 2023, we launched a consultation on how we can best protect hedgerows through effective, proportionate regulation as we phase out farm subsidies and cross compliance rules. The consultation will be open for 12 weeks and closes at 23:59 on 20 September 2023. We want to ensure the regulations work for wildlife, the environment and for farmers. This consultation is seeking views on the best way to maintain and improve existing protections, as well as our approach to enforcement. We would like everyone who cares about hedgerows – including farmers, stakeholder organisations and members of the public – to read our consultation document and share their views on our plans.

Agriculture: Water Supply

Daisy Cooper: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether her Department routinely undertakes assessments of the potential impacts of restrictions to water for the (a) agriculture and (b) horticulture sectors by water companies on the availability of food.

Rebecca Pow: Restriction of water by water companies are primely targeted at households and reducing demand to help conserve supplies. Water companies will impose restrictions on a tiered approach, starting with a temporary use ban and if the drought continues then apply for a drought order to ban non-essential use of water (such as window cleaning). Neither will impact the availability of food production. Only in the most severe droughts, where water supplies are threatened, would this become an issue. To impose this level of restrictions would require an emergency drought order from the Secretary of State. Farmers involved in food production will usually take water direct from the environment. This is regulated by the Environment Agency using its abstraction licensing regime. The NFU are part of the National Drought Group, who monitor droughts and work collaboratively to manage water.’ During periods of exceptional drought, the Environment Agency has the power to apply restrictions on spray irrigation users through S57 of the Water Resources Act 1991. This is done to protect the environment. The Agency needs to have “regard to costs and benefits in exercising powers” before implementing them as outlined in Section 39 of the Environment Act 1995. Food is produced and grown across the country. The UK has a highly resilient food supply chain, as demonstrated throughout the Covid-19 response and is well equipped to deal with situations with the potential to cause disruption. Our high degree of food security is built on supply from diverse sources; strong domestic production as well as imports through stable trade routes. We produce 61% of all the food we need, and 74% of food which we can grow or rear in the UK for all or part of the year, and these figures have changed little over the last 20 years. UK consumers have access through international trade to food products that cannot be produced here, or at least not on a year-round basis. This supplements domestic production, and also ensures that any disruption from risks such as adverse weather or disease does not affect the UK's overall security of supply. We continue to keep weather situations and any impact on our agri-food sectors under close review, including through the UK Agriculture Market Monitoring Group (UKAMMG). This was set up by Defra and the Devolved Administrations to monitor the UK market situation across all key agricultural commodities whilst also considering that the situation will vary by region, area, crop and soil type. We have also increased engagement with our valued industry colleagues to supplement Government analysis with real-time intelligence.

Hazardous Substances: Waste Disposal

Seema Malhotra: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment her Department has made of the implications for its policies of the report entitled Report of the Special Rapporteur on the implications for human rights of the environmentally sound management and disposal of hazardous substances and wastes on his mission to the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, published on 5 September 2017.

Rebecca Pow: Since the report was published in 2017 we have published a Resources and Waste Strategy which sets out how we will preserve material resources by minimising waste, promoting resource efficiency and moving towards a circular economy in England. We are also developing a cross-government Chemicals Strategy to frame the work we are doing across chemicals to put us on a path for improved chemicals management. This Strategy will set out our priorities and principles for taking regulatory action to protect human health and the environment. Meanwhile, the Environmental Improvement Plan (EIP), published earlier this year, sets out how we will tackle pollution in the air, in our waters, and on land, setting ambitious new targets across the board to improve the environment while also improving people’s health and quality of life. In the development of these strategies and the EIP, and in delivering on the policies they set out, the Government consults widely with stakeholders and considers a wide array of information sources to ensure our policy making is robust and that we are upholding our obligations, including on human rights.

Pets: Travel

Tracey Crouch: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what progress she has made in negotiations with the European Commission on awarding Great Britain Part 1 listed status to enable pet owners to travel outside the UK with fewer restrictions.

Trudy Harrison: We are continuing to engage with the European Commission on awarding Great Britain 'Part 1' listed status and recognition of the UK's tapeworm-free status.

Bovine Tuberculosis: Vaccination

Sarah Owen: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what progress her Department has made on vaccinating badgers to tackle the spread of bovine tuberculosis.

Mark Spencer: We have undertaken government-funded badger vaccination in several areas where four-year intensive badger culling has ended and are continuing to bolster our capability to deploy even more badger vaccination in post-cull areas from this year. Defra has provided financial support for a 5-year project in East Sussex to support delivery of vaccination over 250 squared kilometres. The project is in its third year and provides a template for future large-scale badger vaccination approaches. Cage-trapping and vaccination training courses continue to be streamlined to make them less time-consuming and more accessible, with further funding to develop an e-learning platform this year. In June 2022, we launched a new simplified licence for vaccinating badgers, significantly reducing the administrative burden for those who are trained to undertake this activity. We have also applied a new subsidy to the BadgerBCG vaccine. This cuts the cost of the vaccine by almost 50%, making it more accessible to vaccination groups. This, and other initiatives will make it easier and should encourage more farmers, landowners, and other groups to get involved in badger vaccination.

Packaging: Recycling

Dr Matthew Offord: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what discussions she has had with Cabinet colleagues on the potential impact of the Extended Producer Responsibility on food producers.

Rebecca Pow: The Secretary of State has regular discussions with Cabinet colleagues on a wide range of issues, and Cabinet discussions are considered confidential. We have listened to feedback from industry. Since the EPR consultation, we have amended our proposals, with the effect of reducing costs to business from an estimated £2.7 billion a year to £1.4 billion. We remain committed to working closely with industry as the final design of the scheme is decided. To this end, I have recently held roundtables with INCPEN, the British Retail Consortium, and the Food and Drink Federation, all of whom have been met by senior Defra officials as well. As the Prime Minister has also set out, the economy is an immediate priority for this Government: “Supporting businesses to grow is a crucial part of this – which is why we want to ensure a simple and effective system for our Extended Producer Responsibility scheme that benefits both businesses and consumers. “We have been engaging closely with manufacturers, retailers, and packaging companies on the design of this scheme and on delivery plans.”

Agriculture: Land

Mr David Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment she has made of the potential merits of requiring dogs to be on a leash when on agricultural land.

Mark Spencer: We maintain that it is best practice to keep your dog on a lead around livestock. The Countryside Code advises dog walkers to always check local signs as there are situations where this is already a legal requirement for all or part of the year – for example when on Open Access Land between 1 March and 31 July.There is a careful balance to be struck between the level of freedom people enjoy when accessing the countryside to walk their dogs, the welfare of those dogs who require regular exercise (including the freedom to exhibit normal behaviours) and the welfare of livestock and interests of their keepers. There is also a public safety consideration. The behaviour of certain livestock species can be unpredictable, especially when they are with their young. That is why the recently refreshed Countryside Code reminds dog walkers to let their dog off the lead if they feel threatened by livestock or horses. Releasing a dog will make it easier for both the dog and walker to reach safety and avoid getting hurt.

Glass: Deposit Return Schemes

Ben Everitt: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, pursuant to the Answer of 17 May 2023 to Question 184463 on Glass: Deposit Return Schemes, whether her Department has made an assessment of the potential impact on the (a) plastic and (b) aluminium packaging industry of the (i) inclusion of glass in and (ii) exclusion of glass from the proposed deposit return scheme.

Rebecca Pow: Businesses have been clear that adding glass to a deposit return scheme will add fundamental complexity for our pubs and restaurants, increase burdens on small businesses, whilst creating greater inconvenience for consumers. We recognise that some sectors are concerned about potential for material switching. However, there are many market forces acting in this space - predicting impacts is very hard. Importantly glass will be included in Extended Producer Responsibility for packaging where obligated producers will be responsible for the disposal costs of their packaging so there will be some balancing of incentives.

Poultry: Antibiotics

Dr Matthew Offord: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment her Department has made of the implications for her policies of the use of fluoroquinolone antibiotics by overseas poultry producers who supply the UK market.

Mark Spencer: In order to export meat to Great Britain, GB import conditions must be met. For food products, this includes a requirement for exporting countries to regulate the use of veterinary medicines. Fluroquinolones are permitted for use in meat production, both domestically and in imported meat products. However, withdrawal periods prior to slaughter must be adhered to, as well as residue levels, the maximum limits of which are the same for both domestic and imported meat.

Packaging: Recycling

Ben Everitt: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, pursuant to the Answer of 17 May 2023 to Question 184463 on Glass: Deposit Return Schemes, whether she has considered the potential merits of setting a recycling target for (a) glass and (b) polyethylene terephthalate packaging of 90 per cent.

Rebecca Pow: We are working on the recycling targets for each packaging material as part of work to finalise our plans for Extended Producer Responsibility. The individual recycling targets for each material will be set to achieve our environmental ambitions taking into account the specific issues and challenges associated with each material.

Glass: Recycling

Ben Everitt: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps she plans to take to increase glass recycling rates.

Rebecca Pow: In England and Northern Ireland glass drinks bottles will remain in scope of the Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) for packaging scheme as will all other types of glass packaging placed on the market in all nations. EPR will place recycling targets on producers in relation to glass packaging and require relevant obligated producers to cover the costs of collecting and managing glass packaging arising in household waste and discarded in street bins managed by local authorities. In our 2022 response to the 2021 EPR consultation the Government set out recycling targets for 2025 and 2030, including glass. These included glass drinks containers in England and Northern Ireland.

Meat: Antibiotics

Dr Matthew Offord: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps her Department is taking to ensure that fluoroquinolone antibiotics are not used on imported meat.

Mark Spencer: In order to export meat to Great Britain, GB import conditions must be met. For food products, this includes a requirement for exporting countries to regulate the use of veterinary medicines Fluroquinolones are permitted for use in meat production, both domestically and in imported meat products. However, withdrawal periods prior to slaughter must be adhered to, as well as residue levels, the maximum limits of which are the same for both domestic and imported meat.

Electrical Goods and Electronic Equipment: Waste Disposal

Dr Matthew Offord: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, how much has been collected through Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment compliance charges in each of the last five years; and if she will provide a breakdown of how this money has been spent.

Rebecca Pow: We do not hold information on the amount WEEE Producer Compliance Schemes charge their producer members for discharging obligations in accordance with the 2013 Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment Regulations. Such amounts would be dictated by the costs of the contractual arrangements made by each individual PCS in financing the collection and treatment WEEE on behalf of its members and as such are a commercial matter.

Electronic Cigarettes: Recycling

Dr Matthew Offord: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, if she will make it her policy to allocate a proportion of the fees collected through the Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment recycling scheme to improve rates of recycling of vaping products.

Rebecca Pow: The Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment Regulations already place obligations on producers of electrical equipment, including vapes, to finance the collection and treatment of these products when they become waste. We will shortly consult on changes to the Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment (WEEE) Regulations to consider what, if any, changes to that legislation are needed to ensure the vaping sector specifically plays its part in properly financing the cost of collection and treatment of their products when they become waste. As part of that consultation, we will also consider measures aimed at driving up levels of collection of household WEEE, including vapes, to ensure more of it is properly recycled.

Material Focus: Finance

Dr Matthew Offord: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what funding her Department has provided to Material Focus in each of the last three years; and if she will provide a breakdown of how this money has been spent.

Rebecca Pow: Material Focus is an organisation – independent of government – which manages money raised by the WEEE compliance fee, established by the 2013 Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment Regulations. This is a fee paid by Producer Compliance Schemes who miss their collection targets for waste electricals in any given year. The government does not give any money to Material Focus.

Inland Waterways and Rivers

Sir Greg Knight: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps she is taking with Cabinet colleagues to help encourage the use of canals and rivers; and if she will make a statement.

Rebecca Pow: Our inland waterways are an important national heritage asset. Benefits of inland waterways include biodiversity, pleasant routes for active and sustainable travel, physical and mental health, water stewardship, recreational benefits, water-borne freight and renewable energy. The waterways networks host utilities including broadband cabling, as well as playing a key role in system-wide flood risk management, land drainage and water supply. We published our Environmental Improvement Plan in January 2023 and will work across government to deliver against its commitments, including to “continue to work with navigation authorities as appropriate, recognising the value of access to blue space, particularly within inner city environments. For example, announcing future funding for the Canal and River Trust to support local access improvements and awareness.”

Pets: Smuggling

Alex Sobel: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what discussions she has had with the Leader of the House on legislative proposals to prevent pet smuggling; and what assessment she has made of the potential merits of making cat smuggling a criminal offence.

Trudy Harrison: The Secretary of State has regular discussions with the Leader of the House about our legislative programme and other matters. Criminal offences already exist for cats brought into this country in breach of current import requirements. In Autumn 2021 we consulted on further proposed changes to the rules governing the commercial and non-commercial movement of cats, dogs and ferrets into Great Britain. This included proposals to ban the import of puppies under the age of six months, dogs with cropped ears or docked tails, and dogs that are heavily pregnant. We are carefully reviewing the feedback from our consultation and wider engagement with stakeholders, a summary will be published in due course.

Poultry: Antibiotics

Theresa Villiers: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, how much chicken treated with fluoroquinolone antibiotics was imported in each of the last five years.

Mark Spencer: Defra does not hold this data. All countries eligible to export poultry meat to the UK must have an approved plan for the control of residues of veterinary medicines in foodstuffs. This control plan will include testing for antibiotics, and trading partners must be able to demonstrate that their plan and maximum permitted residue levels are equivalent to our own domestic standards.

Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office

India: Human Rights

Mike Kane: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what discussions he has had with his Indian counterparts about the treatment of human rights defenders in that country.

Anne-Marie Trevelyan: Human rights defenders make an essential contribution to the promotion of the rights of their fellow citizens. The UK Government has a broad and deep partnership with the Government of India and we discuss all elements of our relationship including issues where we have them. These topics were among issues discussed by Lord [Tariq] Ahmad, Minister for South Asia, with the Government of India, leaders of faith groups and others during his recent visit to India (27-31 May).

Horn of Africa: Development Aid

Ms Anum Qaisar: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, how much and what proportion of the £143m of aid announced on 24 May for the Horn of Africa was additional to his Department's existing budget for the region.

Mr Andrew Mitchell: The £143 million is part of a wider bilateral Official Development Assistance allocation for East and Central Africa of £389.8 million as set out in the Written Ministerial Statement on 30th March 2023.

Horn of Africa: Climate Change

Ms Anum Qaisar: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what recent steps he has taken to help improve resilience in countries in the Horn of Africa to impacts of climate change.

Mr Andrew Mitchell: The compounding pressures of conflict and cyclical climate disasters are driving unprecedented humanitarian needs, across the Horn of Africa. It is clear that humanitarian funding must complement and work alongside longer-term climate finances to help break the cycle of crisis and to build resilience. To support these efforts, in July the UK will host a conference at Wilton Park to agree concrete actions on how vulnerable countries can secure a proportionate share of climate finance which can be used to promote adaptation and resilient development.

Nigeria: Armed Forces

Ms Lyn Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, pursuant to the Answer of 4 January 2023 to Question 108129 on Nigeria: Armed Forces, what recent assessment he has made of the progress made by the Nigerian authorities to hold independent investigations into allegations of coerced abortions and child killings by Nigerian armed forces.

Mr Andrew Mitchell: We welcome the ongoing investigation into these allegations by the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) and continue to monitor its progress closely. FCDO officials met with the NHRC and the inquiry's lead investigator in April 2023. The commission continues to take testimonies and we have urged the NHRC to publish the report when it is complete. All of our engagement with the Nigerian Armed Forces continues to be underpinned by the promotion of human rights, international humanitarian law and the law of armed conflict.

Democratic Republic of Congo: Armed Conflict

Ms Lyn Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, with reference to the final report of the Group of Experts on the Democratic Republic of the Congo, published by the UN Security Council on 13 June 2023, if he will make an assessment of the value for money of UK funding for the Nairobi Process in the context of continued support for armed groups in the Democratic Republic of the Congo by (a) neighbouring states and (b) the Democratic Republic of the Congo armed forces.

Mr Andrew Mitchell: The UK firmly believes the regional Nairobi and Luanda diplomatic peace processes provide the best means by which to achieve a lasting peace in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo and offer them our full support. We continue to urge all parties to honour commitments made during regional political meetings, including the cessation of hostilities, respect for sovereignty and withdrawal by armed groups including M23. The UK offers our support to these efforts to pursue dialogue, de-escalate tensions and make use of regional mechanisms to resolve disputes.

Tigray: Humanitarian Aid

Ms Lyn Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what recent representations he has received on (a) the humanitarian situation in Western Tigray, (b) reports of ethnic cleansing and forced displacements of Tigrayan people in that region and( c) responsibility for that alleged ethnic cleansing.

Mr Andrew Mitchell: The UK continues to ensure improved awareness of and response to the large-scale and country wide humanitarian needs. In particular the UK is monitoring upcoming climate outlooks and support planning for likely below average rains from June - September as well as El Nino conditions from June. The UK noted the report published by Human Rights Watch and Amnesty International in 2022 detailing widespread human rights violations and abuses committed by all parties to the conflict. The UK is committed to human rights being respected and those responsible for human rights abuses and violations being held to account. We continue to support the mandate of the International Commission of Human Rights Experts on Ethiopia. We are providing £4.5 million to help build the capacity of the Ethiopian Human Rights Commission through the UK's Human Rights and Peacebuilding programme.

Democratic Republic of Congo: Rwanda

Ms Lyn Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, with reference to the final report of the Group of Experts on the Democratic Republic of the Congo, published by the UN Security Council on 13 June 2023, whether his Department is taking steps to help tackle concerns in that report on (a) Rwandan Defence Forces operations within the Democratic Republic of the Congo, (b) Rwandan Defence Forces support for the M23 armed group, (c) Democratic Republic of the Congo armed forces support for the FDLR armed group and d) other allegations; and what information his Department holds on whether UK residents have provided financial support to (i) the Twirwaneho armed group and (ii) any other armed groups noted in the report that are not subject to UK sanctions.

Mr Andrew Mitchell: The UK welcomes the UN Group of Experts (GoE) comprehensive report on the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) - we stand behind the GoE and the critical work they do. We call on all member states to cooperate fully with the GoE. We have noted its findings and condemn the external support being given to armed groups. We regularly raise the conflict in eastern DRC with DRC, Rwanda and the region, where we urge all parties to deliver on their commitments, agreed through the Nairobi and Luanda processes. I [Andrew Mitchell] met with DRC Foreign Minister Lutundula during my visit to DRC in March, and the Prime Minister also discussed the situation with President Kagame on 4 May, as did the Home Secretary during her visit to Rwanda in March. UK Ministers met with Rwanda Foreign Minister Biruta in the margins of the Ukraine Recovery Conference where the conflict was discussed. We do not speculate about future sanctions.

Sudan: Crimes against Humanity

Ms Lyn Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether he has offered (a) police support, (b) legal support and (c) other technical support to the International Criminal Court to facilitate its work investigating and prosecuting genocide, war crimes and crimes against humanity in Sudan.

Mr Andrew Mitchell: The UK remains a staunch advocate for justice and supports the role of the International Criminal Court (ICC) in investigating war crimes, genocide and crimes against humanity. We provide assistance to the ICC in line with our obligations under Part 9 of the Rome Statute. The UK is under a duty of confidentiality in relation to specific requests for cooperation received from the Court as set out in article 87(3) of the Rome Statute. The UK has also provided further voluntary donations in response to requests from the ICC Office of the Prosecutor. Separately, outside of our work with the ICC, we are scoping potential remote monitoring mechanisms with the capacity to collect and preserve digital content pertaining to potential international crimes.

Democratic Republic of Congo: Uganda

Derek Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, when his Department plans to commission a new Joint Analysis of Conflict and Stability assessment for the (a) Democratic Republic of Congo and (b) Uganda border regions.

Mr Andrew Mitchell: Conflict analysis is an integral way in which HMG ensures UK policy and programming is both effective and conflict sensitive. The last Joint Analysis of Conflict and Stability (JACS) assessment for Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) was in 2017. There has not been one undertaken for Uganda. There are no plans in place to commission a new JACS at present, but we regularly review the need for cross HMG conflict analysis and will continue to do so.

South Sudan: Humanitarian Aid

Alberto Costa: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what assistance the UK is providing to South Sudan through the UNHCR programme.

Mr Andrew Mitchell: The UK's humanitarian portfolio in South Sudan is delivered via a combination of UN and international NGO partners, focusing on delivery of critical assistance to the most vulnerable populations across the country. The UK Government does not provide direct funding to the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) in South Sudan. We are in close contact with humanitarian partners, including the UNHCR, on the response to those affected by the crisis in Sudan. On 24 May, I [Andrew Mitchell] announced £143 million in humanitarian aid for East Africa this financial year, including £18.9 million for South Sudan.

Afghanistan: Development Aid

Mr Tanmanjeet Singh Dhesi: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, how much aid his Department has provided to Afghanistan in the last 12 months.

Leo Docherty: Afghanistan is one of FCDO's largest bilateral aid programmes this financial year, at £100 million, and the UK remains committed to the people of Afghanistan. Last financial year, the UK spent £246 million in aid for Afghanistan. UK aid is providing vital lifesaving support to the most vulnerable.

Sierra Leone: Elections

Neil Coyle: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether his Department is taking steps to help (a) prevent intimidation and (b) encourage free and fair political campaigning in Sierra Leone.

Mr Andrew Mitchell: The UK regularly raises good governance, rule of law and the importance of free, fair and peaceful elections with Government, opposition and key stakeholders in Sierra Leone. The Foreign Secretary has highlighted these messages, including with the President and opposition leader, during and since his visit in March 2023. The UK has been promoting peaceful political dialogue between and within communities through civil society, and voter education through media. On 21 June, the British High Commission coordinated a press statement with international partners, calling for people to refrain from violence and reject divisive, hateful language. The High Commission is deploying on-the-ground observers across the country throughout the election period.

Nigeria: Human Rights

Derek Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what recommendations the Government plans to make to the UN Human Rights Council for the Universal Periodic Review into Nigeria (a) overall and (b) on freedom of religion and belief.

Mr Andrew Mitchell: The UK Government strongly supports the Universal Periodic Review (UPR) process. We are committed to supporting Nigeria to protect human rights and provided recommendations on this during Nigeria's previous UPR in 2018, including on Freedom of Religion or Belief (FoRB). We will consider recommendations and advance questions as part of Nigeria's next UPR in early 2024, and once it has submitted its national report in October this year.

Uganda: Terrorism

Derek Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, if his Department will (a) review sanctions on the Allied Democratic Forces leadership and (b) make an assessment of the potential merits of sanctioning additional bodies following the attack on Lhubirira Secondary School in Mpondwe.

Mr Andrew Mitchell: The Allied Democratic Forces (ADF) are designated under both the UN and UK domestic sanctions regimes. We do not speculate about future sanctions designations, as to do so might reduce their impact.

Ukraine: Reconstruction

Stewart Malcolm McDonald: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether he has made an assessment with Cabinet colleagues of how the UK's contribution to the reconstruction of Ukraine will be financed if there is a shortfall in the amount expected to be raised by Russian sanctions.

Leo Docherty: The UK is helping Ukraine secure support for its recovery and reconstruction needs. The Ukraine Recovery Conference on 21-22 June raised more than $60 billion in new support, including a further $3 billion in UK guarantees to World Bank lending and up to £240 million of UK bilateral assistance. We are working with partners to ensure that Russia pays for the consequences of its illegal war. We have sanctioned over 1,600 individuals and entities, freezing over £18 billion of assets in the UK. On 19 June we introduced legislation enabling sanctions on Russia to be maintained until Moscow pays compensation to Ukraine.

Ukraine: Tourism

Stewart Malcolm McDonald: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what steps his Department plans to take to support the development of Ukraine's tourism industry following its recovery; and what steps he plans to take with Cabinet colleagues to encourage tourists from the UK to visit Ukraine.

Leo Docherty: The FCDO continues to advise against all travel to Ukraine while Russia's illegal invasion continues. The UK is committed to helping Ukraine secure support for its recovery and reconstruction needs. The Ukraine Recovery Conference (21-22 June) raised over $60 billion in new support, including a further $3 billion in UK guarantees to World Bank lending and up to £240 million of UK bilateral assistance. We are focused on supporting the Government of Ukraine's immediate recovery priorities including health, energy and critical infrastructure, which have suffered damage in Russia's indiscriminate airstrikes. The UK-Ukraine Strategic Partnership Agreement sets parameters for longer-term co-operation on tourism.

Department for Transport

Taxis: Licensing

Vicky Foxcroft: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, pursuant to the Answer of 21st October 2022 to Question 69709, when he plans to publish his Department's response to the Best Practice Guidance for taxi and private hire vehicle licensing authorities in England consultation.

Mr Richard Holden: The Department intends to publish the Government's response to the consultation on updated Best Practice Guidance for taxi and private hire vehicle licensing authorities in England later this year.

Sea Cadet Corps

Mr Gregory Campbell: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, when the Seafarers Reform Oversight Group last met; and when the group plans to meet next.

Mr Richard Holden: The Cadet Training and Modernisation Oversight Committee last met on 21st February 2023. The next meeting is currently being arranged by the Oversight Committee secretariat on behalf of the Maritime and Coastguard Agency.

Driving Licences: Disability

Vicky Foxcroft: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how many and what proportion of disabled people currently hold a driving licence.

Mr Richard Holden: Data from the National Travel Survey show that in 2021, 61% of disabled adults aged 17 or over in England held a full car driving licence, compared with 80% of adults with no disability. Data are not available on the number of disabled people holding a driving licence, as the proportions above are derived from a sample and are therefore estimates rather than precise figures. These data are updated annually in the disability, accessibility and blue badge statistical release:https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/disability-accessibility-and-blue-badge-statistics-2021-to-2022/disability-accessibility-and-blue-badge-statistics-2021-to-2022

Driving Tests: Standards

Taiwo Owatemi: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps his Department is taking to (a) reduce waiting times for drivers to take practical tests and (b) license new driving test centres.

Mr Richard Holden: People can book driving tests up to 6 months before they take their test. As of 26 June 2023, there were 546,545 car practical driving tests booked, and 54,480 driving tests available within the 24-week booking window. Since April 2021, the Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency (DVSA) has created over one million extra car test appointments by recruiting new examiners, conducting out-of-hours testing, such as on public holidays and weekends, asking all those qualified to conduct tests but who do not do so as part of their current day job, to return to conducting tests and asking recently retired driving examiners to return. On average, this has created approximately 39,000 extra car test appointments each month. The DVSA does not licence driving test centres.

Bus Services: Air Conditioning

Preet Kaur Gill: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether he plans to require bus operators to install air conditioning systems on their fleet.

Mr Richard Holden: The 2021 National Bus Strategy set out a bold vision for bus services across England and was clear that comfortable, modern buses would help make using the bus more appealing.Current regulation states that adequate ventilation should be provided on board buses for passengers and the driver without the necessity for opening any main window or windscreen.

Submarines

Seema Malhotra: To ask the Secretary of State for the Transport, which (a) Department and (b) Minister is responsible for civilian and tourist submarines.

Mr Richard Holden: The Department for Transport, through the Maritime and Coastguard Agency, has responsibility for the regulation of safety on maritime vessels used in UK waters and on UK-flagged vessels wherever they may be. This includes submersibles. Baroness Vere is the Minister with responsibility for maritime issues.

Bus Services: Disability

Olivia Blake: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether he is taking steps to extend the requirement for all publicly-funded buses to have additional flexible space for a second wheelchair user or pushchair to all buses.

Mr Richard Holden: The Public Service Vehicles Accessibility Regulations 2000 (PSVAR) require buses and coaches in scope of the PSVAR to incorporate a wheelchair space and boarding ramp or lift.We require buses funded by the Zero Emission Bus Regional Areas (ZEBRA) scheme to incorporate additional accessibility features, including a second wheelchair space or flexible area.Regarding this requirement, as part of a review of the PSVAR, the Department has launched a Call for Evidence. We are asking for views on how effective the PSVAR have been in improving accessibility, and how it might evolve so that buses and coaches continue to meet the access needs of all passengers. Respondents will have the opportunity to provide the Department with their views on bus design, including sharing any perspectives they may have on features such as an additional flexible space. Upon completion of analysis of the Call for Evidence and review of the PSVAR, it is our intention to publish the Department's response to the evidence submitted.

Cars: Insurance

Sarah Olney: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether he has had recent discussions with the car insurance industry on insurance premiums and their impacts on policyholders.

Mr Richard Holden: The Department regularly engages with the insurance industry on a range of topics.

Great British Railways

Ian Levy: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, when he plans to publish the Government's response to the consultation on the Williams-Shapps Plan for Rail.

Huw Merriman: The Government response to the rail reform legislation consultation will be published this summer. This consulted on elements of the Plan for Rail White Paper which require legislation to implement.

Bridges: Stockport

Navendu Mishra: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, if his Department will take steps to provide ring-fenced funding for (a) cleaning, (b) maintenance and (c) repair work for the Stockport viaduct.

Huw Merriman: The Government’s published its £44.1 billion funding settlement for Network Rail's operation, maintenance and renewal of the railway in the next Control Period on 1 December 2022.It is for Network Rail, under the oversight of the independent regulator, the Office of Rail and Road, in determining the best way to allocate this funding across the railways of England and Wales.

Railways: Tickets

Marsha De Cordova: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether he plans to reduce the total number of rail ticket offices.

Huw Merriman: Together with the industry we want to modernise the passenger experience by moving staff out from ticket offices to more visible and accessible roles around the station. Staff will be better placed to assist passengers who need additional support and to provide face-to-face help in customer focused roles.To propose any changes to the opening hours, or the closure of ticket offices, train operating companies must follow the process set out in the Ticketing and Settlement Agreement.

Department for Energy Security and Net Zero

Hydrogen

Mr Ranil Jayawardena: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, whether his Department is taking steps to develop a strategic vision for the blending of hydrogen as part of a transition to the use of hydrogen alone.

Mr Ranil Jayawardena: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, if he will take steps to ensure that hydrogen blending into the gas grid does not lead to higher gas bills for households and industry.

Graham Stuart: The Government is building evidence to determine if blending meets the required safety standards and represents value for money, which will be essential for blending to be enabled. The Government is working closely with Ofgem and industry to explore options for a future billing methodology that could fairly incorporate hydrogen blends, protecting consumers in the process.

Climate Change

Caroline Lucas: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, what his Department’s planned timetable for is developing a national action plan for implementation of each of the six elements of Action for Climate Empowerment agreed at COP27; and what discussions he has had with the Secretary of State for Education on Action for Climate Empowerment.

Graham Stuart: Officials at the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero engage with other government departments, including the Department for Education, to encourage implementation of the Action for Climate Empowerment Action Plan by 2026. The Net Zero Strategy Growth Plan outlines the Government's approach to empowering the public to make green choices including by developing a roadmap setting out plans and proposals under net zero.

Energy Charter Treaty

Dan Carden: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, pursuant to the Answer of 20 December 2022 to Question 105545 on Energy Charter Treaty, whether his Department has undertaken a risk assessment on the UK's membership of the Energy Charter Treaty.

Graham Stuart: The UK has been an advocate for modernising the Energy Charter Treaty, recognising the need to align it with modern energy priorities, international treaty practice and commitments on climate change. Since the decision to adopt the modernised Treaty has been postponed, the Government has been assessing the situation in order to respond appropriately, and will keep the House informed of developments.

Energy Charter Treaty

Dan Carden: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, whether his Department plans to review the UK's membership of the Energy Charter Treaty.

Graham Stuart: The Government is assessing the situation regarding Energy Charter Treaty modernisation and will keep the House informed of developments.

Energy: Housing

Olivia Blake: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, if he will publish a strategy  on retrofitting homes and training and recruitment for that labour force.

Graham Stuart: The Heat and Building Strategy set out the actions the Government is taking to reduce carbon emissions from buildings in the near term. It provides a clear long-term framework for industry to invest and deliver the transition to low-carbon heating.

Business: Energy

Helen Morgan: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, what steps his Department is taking with Cabinet colleagues to support businesses with energy costs.

Amanda Solloway: Businesses have already benefitted from the Energy Bill Relief Scheme which ended on 31 March and provided £7.4 billion of support. Businesses will continue to get a discount on energy bills under the Energy Bills Discount Scheme, from 1 April 2023 until 31 March 2024. Eligible businesses who have a contract with a licensed energy supplier will see a unit discount of up to £6.97/MWh automatically applied to their gas bill and up to £19.61/MWh to their electricity bill. This will be subject to a wholesale price threshold of £107/MWh for gas and £302/MWh for electricity. A higher level of support will be provided to businesses in sectors identified as being the most energy and trade intensive – predominately manufacturing industries.

Energy: Small Businesses

Saqib Bhatti: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, what recent discussions his Department has had with energy providers on steps being taken increase flexibility for small businesses to cancel energy contracts.

Amanda Solloway: The Government understand some businesses on fixed tariffs have seen their bills rise significantly. As this is a commercial matter, the Government encourage businesses to raise this with their suppliers directly, but both Ministers and Ofgem have been pressing suppliers to ensure they are doing all they can to support their customers. The Government cannot mandate suppliers re-negotiate contracts but do expect they will engage directly with customers to find solutions wherever possible. Minister Solloway wrote to energy suppliers in May stressing the importance of good customer service outcomes and reaching out to customers to discuss options early.

Energy: Business

Saqib Bhatti: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, what assessment he has made of the potential implications for his Department's policies of the adequacy of levels of flexibility in the ways businesses can change energy contracts between providers in (a) Meriden constituency and (b) England; and what recent discussions he has had with energy providers on steps being taken to increase that flexibility.

Amanda Solloway: The Government does not hold data on energy contracts for businesses, and contract negotiations are a commercial matter for suppliers and their customers. I met with Ofgem and energy suppliers in March to urge suppliers to do all they can to support their customers and will continue to press them on this matter. I also wrote to suppliers in May to stress the importance of good customer service outcomes and for suppliers to reach out to their customers to discuss options as soon as possible. The Government will continue to work closely with Ofgem and suppliers to ensure that dialogue is taking place between businesses and their energy supplier.

Energy: Meriden

Saqib Bhatti: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, what recent steps he has taken to support the long-term energy needs of hospitality businesses in Meriden constituency.

Amanda Solloway: Businesses, including the Hospitality sector, have already benefitted from the Energy Bill Relief Scheme which ended on 31 March and provided £7.4 billion of support. Eligible businesses will continue to get a discount on gas and electricity bills under the Energy Bills Discount Scheme (EBDS) from 1 April 2023 until 31 March 2024.

Wales Office

Speed Limits: Wales

Julian Knight: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales, whether he has had discussions with the Welsh Government on the use of 20mph speed limits in Wales.

David T C Davies: My officials and I have discussions with the Welsh Government on a wide range of transport matters. The power for setting local speed limits was devolved to the Welsh Government as part of the Wales Act 2017. In terms of the 20mph speed limits, it is disappointing that the Welsh Government seems to be ignoring its own impact assessments, which suggest that the damage to the Welsh economy could be as much as £4.5 billion. Local Authorities in England have the power to set 20mph speed zones where appropriate and the UK Government has no plans to introduce default or national 20 mph speed limits in urban environments.

Department for Culture, Media and Sport

Swimming Pools: North West

Alison McGovern: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, pursuant to the Answer of 21 June 2023 to Question 189203, whether the Sport England data shows how many local authority swimming pools were open in the North West in June 2013.

Alison McGovern: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what recent discussions she has had with local authorities on the provision of swimming facilities.

Stuart Andrew: The Government does not hold data on individual swimming clubs, but Sport England data shows that the number of operational swimming pools on sites owned by Local Authorities in the North West in June 2013 was 239.We regularly engage with Local Authorities and the Local Government Association (LGA) on the provision of swimming pools, particularly in light of the £63 million support package for swimming pools announced at the Budget. This package will help provide investment in energy efficiency measures to reduce future operating costs and make facilities sustainable in the long-term.

Music: Finance

Kim Johnson: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what proportion of her Department's spending on supporting music goes to (a) gospel music and (b) other individual music genres; and what was the cost to the public purse of her Department's support for gospel music in each of the last five years.

Sir John Whittingdale: Gospel music and other individual musical genres receive public support through a wide variety of sources, including Arts Council England. Decisions made by the Arts Council about the allocation of funding are taken at arm's length from the Government. Its decisions are made in line with the Arts Council’s ten-year strategy, Let’s Create, which sets the direction for all the artforms it supports.Neither the Department for Culture, Media and Sport nor the Arts Council England holds aggregated data for funding for gospel music as a specific sub-genre. Liverpool Lighthouse is a new inclusion in the Arts Council England National Portfolio and incorporates the National Gospel Music Centre. Liverpool Lighthouse will host the first Liverpool Gospel Music Festival which will take place on 9 September 2023.Other National Portfolio Organisations, such as Punch and Pegasus Opera engage with the gospel community and have supported several gospel-focused projects through the National Lottery Project Grants programme.Arts Council England holds data regarding a number of other sub-genres its musical investment supports. Data for Lottery and Grant-in-Aid funding in 2022/23 for these sub-genres was as follows:Music -Subclassifier2022/23Brass bands£1,729,589Choral£2,345,593Classical£96,311,624Experimental£7,737,713Folk£1,903,573Jazz£7,264,868Media Arts£800,960Opera£67,730,537Popular£26,257,424South Asian£6,764,995World£7,362,628Total£226,209,504

Department for Culture, Media and Sport: Disability

Vicky Foxcroft: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, with reference to the National Disability Strategy published on 28 July 2021, which of her Department’s commitments in that strategy that have not been paused as a result of legal action have (a) been fully, (b) been partially and (c) not been implemented.

Sir John Whittingdale: In January 2022, the High Court declared the National Disability Strategy (NDS) was unlawful because the UK Disability Survey, which informed it, was held to be a voluntary consultation that failed to comply with the legal requirements on public consultations.The Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport had four policies included in the National Disability Strategy. These were to: introduce a new free arts access card to make it easier for disabled people to enjoy the arts and cultural venues across the UK; make the UK the most accessible tourism destination in Europe; work with Sport England to address the inequalities faced by disabled people in sport and physical activity; and explore how to improve the accessibility of private sector websites.Firstly, we are continuing to develop the Arts Access Card Scheme, which will make it easier for disabled people to enjoy arts and cultural venues across the UK. The pilot of the scheme is scheduled to launch in spring 2024.Secondly, we are progressing our ambition for the UK to be the most accessible tourism destination in Europe by engaging with stakeholders, including VisitEngland, VisitBritain and the Tourism Industry Council Working Group, and we are also aiming to host a series of ministerial roundtables to discuss the barriers disabled people face as tourists.Thirdly, we are continuing to address the inequalities faced by disabled people in sport and physical activity. As such, Sport England has provided £1 million of specialist disability investment as part of its ongoing ‘recover and reinvent’ work, 47 grants through the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee Activity Fund to projects benefiting autistic people and £40 million in the 2 financial years to March 2023 through the Tackling Inequalities Fund and Together Fund (reaching 1,900 projects directly supporting disabled people).The action in the NDS for DCMS to explore how to improve the accessibility of private sector websites now falls under the auspices of the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology.We remain fully committed to supporting disabled people in the UK through creating more opportunities, protecting their rights and ensuring they fully benefit from, and can contribute to, every aspect of our society. To support this, the Department for Culture, Media and Sport will be providing further details of our recent achievements to improve disabled people’s lives in the forthcoming Disability Action Plan consultation due for publication in the summer.Ahead of this, the Minister for Disabled People, Health and Work will write providing a list of these achievements and will place a copy in the House Library.

BBC: Highlands of Scotland

Drew Hendry: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what recent assessment her Department has made of the adequacy of the support provided by the BBC for local radio in the Scottish Highlands.

Sir John Whittingdale: The BBC is editorially and operationally independent, and any decisions over its radio services in Scotland are for the BBC to make. However, the Government has been clear with the Chair of the BBC Board and the Director General that the BBC must make sure it continues to provide distinctive and genuinely local radio services, with content that reflects and represents people and communities from all corners of the UK. These services are a key part of the BBC’s public service remit and an example of how the BBC can use its licence fee funding to provide content that is directly relevant to audiences, particularly in areas that may be underserved by the market.The Government also expects Ofcom, as regulator of the BBC, to ensure the BBC is robustly held to account in delivering its public service duties. Ofcom has noted that, if it has concerns about the BBC’s provision for audiences in Scotland, it would look at whether it is necessary to introduce new requirements into the BBC’s Operating Licence. The BBC also publishes information on how it is delivering for Scottish audiences in its Annual Report and Accounts.

Department for Science, Innovation and Technology

Three: Vodafone

Martyn Day: To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, whether her Department has made an assessment with Cabinet colleagues of the potential impact of a merger between Three UK and Vodafone on national security.

Martyn Day: To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, what assessment her Department has made of the potential impact of the proposed merger between Three UK and Vodafone on (a) mobile phone and (b) broadband costs.

Martyn Day: To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, whether her Department has made an assessment of the potential impact of the proposed merger between Three UK and Vodafone on the security of jobs in the UK.

Sir John Whittingdale: On June 14, Vodafone and Three announced their intentions to merge their UK businesses. As an open economy, we welcome investment where it supports UK growth and jobs, meets our stringent legal and regulatory requirements, and does not compromise our national security. We will not hesitate to use our powers, under the National Security and Investment Act, to protect national security if we identify concerns.The Government does not have a role in the review of mergers on competition grounds. It is the responsibility of Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) to assess the impact on consumers and competition in the market, with input from sectoral regulators - in this case Ofcom.At present Vodafone UK have not announced any job cuts in relation to the merger. On 16 May, Vodafone Group, which operates across 21 countries, announced its annual financial results and strategy to improve performance. The announcement included an indication that Vodafone Group plans to cut 11,000 jobs globally over 3 years. Any redundancies are a commercial decision for Vodafone Group.